Lorenzo: Marquez is the favorite of the 2014 season

 

MotoGP double champion Jorge Lorenzo says Honda rival Marc Marquez is the favorite for the 2014 MotoGP title.

Marquez beat Lorenzo by a hair last year, even though he was a newcomer to the sport. Lorenzo estimates that Marquez should be considered the favorite to win this year as well.

“The championship will be even stricter than last season. Marquez is likely to start as a true warrior, ”Lorenzo said before the start of the season, which will be in Qatar this weekend. "Then I think Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi are in a good position."

Marquez is still recovering from an injury as he broke his leg during training, but Lorenzo believes he will recover quickly.

“Regarding Marco’s form, I have to wait before I say anything. He is very fast and strong. He may not start to the best of his ability, but I am sure he will be close to 100%, ”said Lorenzo.

Last year in the middle of the season, Lorenzo broke his collarbone, but says he won’t have any problems in the race this weekend.

“I had three surgeries in the winter. They took some tiles and other metal pieces from my hand, so I got back in shape pretty late. I am close to perfect form and I think that I will not have any problems in Qatar and I will be able to do my best, ”said the Spaniard.

Lorenzo has won both times at Qater in the last two years, but he is aware that the tires are still unknown at the moment.

“Needless to say, both me and my Yamaha are in a good position. I’ve won here in the last two years and the way the race suits me. The only thing I will have to wait for is the behavior of the new tires, especially on this track, because due to the desert environment, there is usually a lot of sand on it. ”