This is what Lorenzo should have said after the race:
"I'm not happy with fourth place, because as a racer you always want to finish as high as possible. Even though we made a mistake today in choosing too soft tyres, I had good pace at the end, and with Rossi slowing in the last laps I saw an opportunity for a podium. It was a great battle with Valentino, who made some aggressive moves to re-pass me. I would have liked to have responded in kind, but in the back of my mind I was thinking of the championship. I look forward to more hard racing like this for the rest of the season, once the championship is secure."
If he wanted to add a little something more pointed, he could also have said:
"It was great to see Valentino bounce back after a disappointing performance at Aragon. As he was able to handle all the hard braking here at Motegi, his shoulder injury hardly seems to be an issue anymore. Surely this means he will complete the season now, and we can have some exciting battles to finish off his time with Yamaha."
