Jorge Lorenzo thinks his crash last time out at Motegi may have cost him the chance to finish second in the MotoGP riders' standings.

The Movistar Yamaha rider, and team-mate Valentino Rossi, both failed to finish in Japan, consequently handing race winner Marc Marquez his third world title.

Lorenzo remains 14 points adrift of Rossi with three races remaining, and he feels it may be too difficult to make up that ground on the Italian.

"It was a big pity to crash at Motegi because I was just five laps from fighting for the podium, which would have been enough to go second in the championship," he said.

"Now it is really difficult because there are only three races left, but everything is possible, especially this year. Let's see how the weather is and see how we feel on the bike."

The Spaniard paid tribute to compatriot Marquez following his championship triumph, stating consistency helped him overcome some difficult times with the Repsol Honda bike.

"Especially at the beginning of the season, the Honda in contrast was not really competitive and he pushed everything 100 per cent as a rider, to stay more in front," added Lorenzo.

"He did not make many mistakes during all of the season and he never crashed in the race.

"He was the fastest and most consistent rider and he deserved the championship, so we have to applaud his season."