Lorenzo ended his three-day test in overall tenth, three and a half times slower than his team-mate Andrea Dovizioso, and performed a narrow performance alongside Pramac’s Ducati GP18 driver Danilo Petrucci.

The Spanish three pre-season tests said there was not enough time to thoroughly improve the bike and get him into the new speculative Ducati.

“We have done three tests so we can do a big evolution during the season, so we still have a big margin for improvement in the future,” Lorenzo said.

“I still don’t feel this bike natural for me. I still don’t feel that is really my bike.

“It is a matter of understanding what is the best setting, the best combination for my riding and when it happens I will be fighting for the top, fighting for victories and good results.”

Unlike the first impressions of the GP18 at the outset of the pre-season testing in Sepang, comments from three world champions claim that the new Ducati is “much closer to Lorenzo’s bike” and “natural style”.

Lorenzo continues to be convinced that GP18 is “a clear step forward,” but insists that it makes it even more difficult for Ducati’s competitors to become more competitive.

“We have taken a clear step compared to last year, but the rest is improving,” he added. “The Honda engine has improved a lot, Suzuki is doing very well and Yamaha is as well shown by Maverick Vinales.

“The bike is competitive but every rider needs a different kind of configuration, setting. We need to understand what is good for you, the ergonomy of the bike, everything.

“In this category, the evolution never stops for all the teams and you need to be always fighting to improve tenth by tenth, every month.”