Lorenzo-Vera holds a three-shot lead on 12 under at the halfway mark at Jumeirah Golf Estates after carding a three-under second round of 69 on Friday.
The Frenchman, who signed for a stunning 63 on day one in Dubai, led by seven strokes on the back nine but bogeyed the last after also dropping a shot at 15.
Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm are in a share of second place in what promises to be a dramatic tussle to be crowned European number one on Sunday, with the Englishman in pole position for that honour as it stands.
Bernd Wiesberger, Race to Dubai leader heading into the season-ending tournament, has work to do at three under, while Shane Lowry and Matt Fitzpatrick are also in contention.
Rory McIlroy is six shots adrift of leader Lorenzo-Vera, who is braced for a tense weekend as he eyes a maiden European Tour triumph.
The world number 96 said: “Tactically I know what I have to do, and I know that the winds are going to be different this weekend.
“I’m not going to push more than what I’m doing now. I’m trying to trust my putter 100 per cent and that’s what I can do.
“I’ve got a three-shot lead and it’s better than three shots behind. It’s just going to be stressful because it’s big dogs behind me that are going to try to bite me, so it’s going to be interesting.”
Fleetwood, winner of the Nedbank Golf Challenge last weekend, knows he must not suffer a lapse in concentration with so much at stake.
“It’s just a classic case of trying to stay in the moment and take each shot as it comes,” he said. “There’s a lot going on over the weekend; there’s a lot of different scenarios and players in the mix.
“There’s a lot of things going on around you so the more internally focused you can be and the more you can just stay in your bubble, it will just be a great challenge going into the weekend trying to do that.”
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