Jorge Lorenzo has blasted Ducati team-mate and current MotoGP championship leader Andrea Dovizioso for “always” trying to “undermine my morale”.
Three-times premier class champion Lorenzo is in the second year of his current Ducati contract, having joined the Italian marque after nine years with Yamaha last season.
However, the transition for the Spaniard has been tough, with only three podiums to his credit in the last year compared with Dovizioso's seven wins and runner-up spot in the 2017 championship.
Former rivals in the 125cc and 250cc classes – during which time Lorenzo took two intermediate class crowns, while Dovizioso won the '04 125cc title – Lorenzo says the Italian has been trying to “undermine” him throughout his career.
“Dovi is very smart, isn't he,” Lorenzo sniped in an interview with Spanish broadcaster Movistar TV.
“He basically knows everything. Dovi has always, during my whole career, tried to undermine my morale, and he's still doing it as my teammate.
“That's nothing new to me. He's always trying it, if you look at him. It's the relationship he has through the press with me.
“But it's all okay. He is a quiet person. We have a cordial relationship and everything is fine in that sense.
“We are here to win races and championships, and friendship is found elsewhere, not in the paddock.”
Both riders are out of contract with Ducati at the end of this year, and both have been linked with moves elsewhere.
Team boss Davide Tardozzi admitted on Thursday in Argentina he was “confident” Dovizioso would remain, but revealed no negotiations had begun with Lorenzo.
“We already started to have some negotiations with Andrea's manager, and we are pretty confident that we finalise [a deal] soon,” Tardozzi said in an interview with motogp.com.
“Soon doesn't mean one or two days, but we are talking about, really, details.
“On Jorge's side, we haven't started yet because mainly he doesn't want to do it because his situation at the moment is more to focus on results, like we would like him to be, too.
“Anyway, as we always said, we are happy about both riders. Even if people think that Jorge is not working very good with Ducati, we think that the potential of Jorge is very, very high, and we will still keep confidence in him, then we would like to go on.”
Both riders endured a difficult Friday in Qatar, with Lorenzo 17th and Dovizioso last at the end of second practice.
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