2012

vLorenzo made his race return at the Qatar Grand Prix, qualifying on pole position before taking the race victory the following evening.^[28] After successive second places in Spain and Portugal, Lorenzo then won the next two races at Le Mans,^[29] and Catalunya; in the process, opening up a 20-point lead over Casey Stoner in the riders' championship.^[30] Ahead of the British Grand Prix, Lorenzo signed a new two-year contract with Yamaha, keeping him with the team until the end of the 2014 season.^[31][32] Lorenzo extended his championship lead to 25 points, by winning the race ahead of Stoner.^[33] After being taken out of the Dutch TT by Álvaro Bautista and a second place at the German Grand Prix, Lorenzo recorded his fifth win of the season at the Italian Grand Prix to extend his championship lead to 19 over Dani Pedrosa.^[34]