MotoGP title leader Jorge Lorenzo was riding 'a little confused' in the aftermath of Valentino Rossi's leg-breaking accident, and believes t𝓡hat the 2010 world championship has less value without the Italian.

Lorenzo came into 2010 mentally prepared for a season-long dogfight with the legendary seven time MotoGP champion🅰, having kept the title fight ali𝓀ve until the penultimate round of last year.

Despite both suffering train🐬ing injuries, Lorenzo and Fiat Yama💛ha team-mate Rossi were the only riders to win in the first three rounds and quickly broke clear of the field.

Rossi took victory in Qatar, before Lorenzo claimed consecutive triumphs at Jerez and Lꦫe Mans for a title advantage of nine points heading into Rossi's home event aꦏt Mugello, where the Italian sustained his injury.

So how has the 2010 Lꦗorenzo improved over 𓂃the 2009 version?

"Maജybe the mental side," replied Lorenzo, speaking at Lords cricket ground in London on Wednesday, ahead of this weekend's🧔 Silverstone round.

"I was working on the mental side during the wi♚nter. Trying to be more constant. Trying to have the same speed, but with more safety margin. I think I've done that, but you never know 100 percent. Maybe I will crash sometime."

Lorenzo also hinted that the mental as🅺pect could have played a part in Rossi's fateful accide♕nt at Mugello.

"You know, before Valentino crashed we beat him two times in a row," said Lorenzo. "I don't know if this affected his mind or not. I 𓂃don't know if he crashed because of that or not. But it's a pity for everyone that he is not here."

Ironically, the pressure Rossi may or may not have been feeling was instantly transferred onto Loren🃏zo, albeit in a different form. And it was a lot for the 23-year-old to take in.

"Maybe at Mugello I was a little bit confused, becauseဣ when Vale crashed the championship ch꧙anged a lot for us," said Lorenzo. "There was not long between his crash and the race. It was difficult to process everything that had happened in that time."

It is partially for that reason that Lorenzo was surprisingly unable to put up any resistance to Dani Pedro🦂sa on race day.

"I knew I couldn't crash at that race. I had to fi🐓nish and get some points," he explained. "On the one side the bike was not the same as in practi꧑ce, on the other side [mentally] I didn't race at the same level as at Le Mans and Jerez."

Nevertheless, Lorenzo now heads into the British MotoGP round, the first 500cc/MotoGP🅠 race weekend without Rossi since 1999, with a solid 25 point lead over nearest riಞval Pedrosa.

"𓄧If someone had told me before the season started that I was going to win two races and finish second in the other two races, for sure I would tak𓄧e it!" said Lorenzo. "It's only four races, there are 14 to go, but the start has been perfect for us."

During winter testing, Lorenzo had said: "One day, Iᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ feel I can beat Valentino. I don't k♑now if it will be this year, but one day I feel I can do it."

With Rossi now out of the title fight - he won't be back on track𝓀 until at least August - L𒁏orenzo has been denied the chance to prove he can defeat Rossi until at least 2011.

"Winning a world title is always great, but without Valentino maybe the world championship has lost a little bit of its val🔥ue," he confessed.

"That's natural. Before we had 17 ri﷽ders and now we have 16, and of course the rider who crashed was Valentino, who has won so many titles. But it doesn't mean it is an easy job for me now.

"I think the best appr🐻oach now is to keep improving my riding style and not to think about results or where the other riders are𝔍.

"Maybe I could win this championship with Vale oꦗn the track. We will never know," he mused. "Before his crash I was leading the world championship. It could have happened. Now I will t🎉ry to beat everybody who is left."

Lorenzo himself was effectively ruled out of the ꦺ2008 title fight by injury, while Casey Stoner's 2009 chances were ended by sickness, but the Spaniard understands why the loss of Rossi is of a different magnitude - even though he believes no individual is bigger than the sport.

"People 🍎are used to seeing Vale on track, but you know basketball is just as popular now as when Michael Jordon was playing. Maradona was the football star of the '80s, Pele the star of the '60s and the '70s," he said. "There are always these special superstars.

"But all sportsman, unfortunately, we have to retire one day. The sport itself is the only thing that remains.𒐪"

Lorenzo, who wore a Valentino Rossi t-shirt on the Mugello podium, has not spo🐟ken to Rossi directly since his accident, but did call Rossi's team manager Davide Brivio when he was in hospital to c♕heck on Rossi's condition.

Free ⛎practice for the Britishꦰ MotoGP takes place on Friday.