Injured Honda MotoGP rider Jorge Lorenzo says he is expecting Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix to be “race of survival”, after several Saturday crashes left him in 'a lot of pain'.
Lorenzo – still recovering from a left scaphoid break in the winter – crashed heavily at Turn 6 at the start of third practice, and had to go to the medical centre for precautionary checks.
He fell again during qualifying, this time coming off at Turn 2. Avintia's Tito Rabat and KTM rider Johann Zarco also suffered similar tumbles at the same corner.
Lorenzo was vocal about the dangers of racing at 20:00 local time due to the deteriorating tracks conditions as the temperature drops, though the race schedule was not altered despite the riders voting for a change in Friday's Safety Commission meeting.
Expecting to struggle due to his inexperience of the RC213V and his physical condition, he says the track conditions on Sunday will pose a challenge for eveyone.
“I have some pain in my back and I need to rest and then see how I wake up tomorrow,” said Lorenzo, who will start his Honda debut from 15th.
“It hasn't been a great day today, very unlucky with the first crash. There were a combination of factors that made me have a very nasty crash which has created a lot of pain.
“Then in qualifying I crashed because it was too cold. It wasn't a good day for us.
“It will be a race of survival, especially for me with my experience with the bike and also my pain.”
Team-mate Marc Marquez, who qualified his RC213V on the front row in third, believes racing past 20:00 is a “not necessary risk”.
“I mean, we already pushed a lot yesterday,” he said when asked if another request to have the start time brought forward would be made.
“Nearly all the riders [voted] to change the [start] time, because we are taking a risk that is not necessary.
“I mean, we are racing at eight o'clock, and last year we raced at seven. Of course, you never know how the weather will be, but we are taking a risk for the safety – it's not necessary.
“Anyway, if we need to race we will race, but it will be better at seven.”
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