After qualifying in 12th for his second race as a Honda rider, Lorenzo plummeted to 21st on the opening lap at Termas de Rio Hondo. He finally fought again to complete in 12th place, albeit gaining two locations on the final lap when Maverick Vinales and Franco Morbidelli got here to blows and crashed out. As properly as revealing the trigger for his sluggish getaway, Lorenzo stated he was additional hampered by a disintegrating rubber grip on his left handlebar throughout what he described as a "nightmare" race. "Here with the pit limiter, that looks like I pressed it unconsciously because I remember just pressing the start procedure button," Lorenzo recalled. "Suddenly the bike, the rpm goes down