Defending MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo has insisted that he can retain his title this season.

Honda's Marc Marquez will head into Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix with an 18-point lead over the Yamaha driver, who won last week in Australia after his Spanish compatriot was disqualified.

"Normally when the championship is close to the end you feel more pressure," the two-time world champion told AFP.

"It doesn't matter how many points advantage you have. You start thinking that something can go wrong, so for sure he could be starting to have some pressure.

"We have to be competitive enough to fight for the first positions. Twenty-five laps in Motegi, 27-28 in Valencia - a lot of laps to do, so anything can happen. We have to believe, we have to focus on our performance. I have hope."

There are two more races left this season.