Lorenzo 'feels sad' for Forcada, doubts reunion

Jorge Lorenzo's former Yamaha crew chief Ramon Forcada may be splitting from Maverick Vinales at the end of the MotoGP season, but there appears no chance of the pair reuniting at Repsol Honda next season.

Instead Forcada looks set to work with Franco Morbidelli at the new SIC satellite Yamaha team, while Lorenzo starts his Honda adventure with a to-be-announced crew chief that has previous experience of the RC213V.

"I think Alberto [Puig] told you that the decision is more or less taken, so in that movement, my next team will decide which technicians I will have. I don't have so much power this time," said Lorenzo, when asked if Forcada was an option for him at Honda.

Lorenzo worked with Forcada from his 2008 MotoGP debut until leaving Yamaha for Ducati at the end of 2016. The pair won three world titles and 44 races together.

"Forcada, I feel a bit sad for him, because he's a great technician, we won a lot of championships together, he has a lot of experience, he's very good, especially with suspension," Lorenzo said. "I just wish the best for him, and that he can find another team."

Forcada has won three races with Vinales, early in 2017, while Lorenzo claimed two victories for Ducati earlier this year.

Vinales will work with Bradley Smith's current KTM crew chief Esteban Garcia next year. Lorenzo's Repsol Honda crew chief is rumoured to be Ramon Aurin, presently working with rookie Takaaki Nakagami at LCR.

Lorenzo has qualified fourth for Sunday's Czech Republic MotoGP and Vinales twelfth.

Wilco Zeelenberg, another key member of the Lorenzo-Yamaha era, is also due to leave the factory team at the end of the year and join SIC.