Jorge Lorenzo sets high standard at Mugello
The championship leader was barely headed throughout FP1 and FP2 as he twice dipped below race lap record, Lorenzo's eventual best of 1min 48.076secs proving good enough to put him top of the pile at the end of Friday's running.
Indeed, while the Spaniard's rivals were able to get close to that benchmark during the quicker FP2 session – particularly when he lost some time with an innocuous off at turn one -, it was Lorenzo's pace and consistency over a string of laps that made many sit up and take notice.
“I'm really happy because from the beginning we've been quite fast,” the Yamaha rider said. “We haven't had to make many changes to the bike, the feeling is great with the track and it's working well.
"I feel good with the suspension, throttle and braking. Everything seems quite clear, we have to work on some small details but we've made an excellent beginning.”
Lorenzo did a long run of 14 consecutive laps during FP2 and set lap times of 1m 48.2s, just two tenths from his best time of the day, twice in the closing stages of that run.
