MOTOGP: Lorenzo vows to learn from tough 2016

Three-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo says he will learn from a tough final season with Yamaha, in which "everything went wrong" after the first third of the campaign.

Lorenzo announced his 2017 move to Ducati before the first European race of the year at Jerez in April, and led the championship a month later after six races, three of which he had won.

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Being taken out of the Catalunya Grand Prix at Barcelona by Andrea Iannone then signaled the start of Lorenzo's slide, with a slump in wet and cool conditions also evident as he fell out of title contention.

Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi sealed second in the championship behind Marc Marquez in the Malaysian Grand Prix, with Lorenzo well-placed to secure third ahead of his 2017 replacement, Maverick Vinales.

"[It was] very good at the beginning, we started in the best way," Lorenzo said. "It was almost perfect until Barcelona. And everything went wrong from Barcelona, especially with cold conditions, with rain conditions, I didn't feel great with the front tire especially.

"It has been hard to be consistent like normally I am, and I struggled to find a good balance, good confidence with these tires. Luckily in the future, Michelin will get the experience of this year to make better tires, or tires more adapted to every track and for sure all of the riders will have less problems.

"But taking some experience from this year for the future will be important. Being honest, I have made too many mistakes, and you cannot fight for the championship like this."

Lorenzo joined Yamaha as a rookie in 2008, fresh from winning a pair of 250cc titles, and has won 43 of his 155 MotoGP starts since then.

Having snatched the 2015 title from Rossi's grasp at Valencia 12 months ago, the Spaniard admits his final grand prix with Yamaha there this weekend will be a "very emotional moment."

"[I've spent] eight, nine years in the same team that has given me so much," he said. "For sure it will be very emotional, that's why I'm fully motivated to train as hard as possible and to finish, if it's possible, with a win."

DUCATI SHRUGS OFF LORENZO'S RAIN WEAKNESS

Lorenzo's 2017 employer Ducati does not believe he has a "real problem" riding in wet-weather conditions, despite his issues this season.

Its MotoGP general manager Gigi Dall'Igna worked with Lorenzo at Derbi in his junior days and is not concerned.

"Jorge has won a lot of races in wet conditions in the past," he told motogp.com. "I don't think that this is a real problem for him."

Lorenzo's "lucky" podium in the wet Malaysian GP came after qualifying third in the rain.

Having finished 11.924 seconds behind race winner and future Ducati teammate Andrea Dovizioso, Lorenzo was also significantly more competitive than in 2016's other rain-hit races, his previous-best result 10th and 27.604s off winner Jack Miller at Assen.

Originally on Autosport.com