Marco Bezzecchi
Mat Oxley spotted one of MotoGP’s finest young prospects delivering at a level even one of the all-time greats didn’t at this age.
Lorenzo went on to win five world championships in his career, but his start in MotoGP was not as good as he had hoped.
The Spanish rider joined Yamaha in 2008 as a rookie with a huge task – to serve as the teammate of Valentino Rossi, who was considered the best rider in the world at the time.
Which battle between Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo was your favourite?
Comment below!
Lorenzo had his share of frustrations with Yamaha over the years, but there is no denying that the team recognised just how talented he was from day one.
Even with Lorenzo allegedly being difficult to work with, he was considered a brilliant prospect from day one. But in Mat Oxley’s eyes, one current MotoGP rider is an even better prospect than Jorge Lorenzo was.
READ MORE: Jorge Lorenzo says Valentino Rossi’s value was ‘in the gutter’ when he returned to Yamaha
Mat Oxley names the MotoGP rider doing something even Jorge Lorenzo couldn’t manage as a rookie
Speaking on the Oxley Bom podcast, Mat Oxley had high praise for Diogo Moreira for his performance over the weekend in Hungary.
Furthermore, he praised Moreira’s performance as a rookie this season, noting that he hasn’t had the reckless crashes that Jorge Lorenzo did as a rookie, and he has been nearly perfect so far.
“Massive props to Diogo Moreira in the sprint yesterday. He was fantastic. In the race today, he was fantastic. He just got stuck behind Miller for a while, didn’t he?
“Otherwise, he would have been out there with Ogura and Marini, I think. But wow, he has got a lot of talent… Not one moment this year has he looked like he’s a rookie.
“We’re seven or eight races in? If you get a rookie getting good results and keep building and building, that’s quite unusual. He’s not had a big crash…
“It reminds me of Jorge Lorenzo, who was very much like that when he came to MotoGP in 2008. He had a load of huge crashes and took a massive step backwards, like, ‘Holy s—, I need to slow down, think about more and start building again.’
“But Moreira has just done everything perfectly. I didn’t expect him to be this good, I have to admit.”
READ MORE: Mat Oxley claims Brad Binder found himself in ‘a world of pain’ after Diogo Moreira battle
Who will be MotoGP’s top rookie in the 2026 season?
Diogo Moreira enjoying sensational rookie season with LCR Honda
With his sixth-place finish at the Hungarian Grand Prix, Moreira earned the best result of his career this season.
And on top of that, Moreira has had just one DNF in a Grand Prix this season, showing his composure despite being a rookie.
Moreira had to defend himself from some ridiculous claims upon entering MotoGP, but has proven many of his detractors wrong with his solid performances.
And with these performances, LCR Honda aren’t ready to see Moreira get promoted just yet, as he is delivering at the highest level possible.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
