Lorenzo doubtful for Shanghai race

The Spaniard has fractured a bone in his left ankle and suffered severe trauma and bruising to parts of his right ankle and foot as the result of a high-side accident at the exit of the first corner in first practice.

Following examination at the Huashan hospital in Shanghai, Lorenzo was able to return to the Shanghai circuit on Friday evening - with a decision on his return to action now waiting until the morning.

Dr Claudio Costa, of the Clinica Mobile, said: "Detailed examination has revealed that Jorge has re-fractured the top of the malleolo bone in the middle of the left ankle.

"Furthermore, the MRI scan showed that there are severe impact oedemas to the right heel, the astragalo bone and the tibia, but fortunately no signs of further fractures.

"The diagnosis shows the violence of the trauma he suffered to both his feet in the crash and Jorge now faces a very difficult task to participate in tomorrow's qualifying and Sunday's race."

Lorenzo's crew chief Ramon Forcada said the team were unsure what caused the accident, as the bike's data recorder was damaged in the accident.

"It's a great pity this has happened, right at the start of Jorge's weekend; we were focused on his arm following his recent operation and we were quite confident that he could ride as usual," said Forcada.

"It was a very bad crash and it is not clear yet what happened because we lost all the data when the equipment was damaged at the time. As far as we can see from the TV, he lost grip on the rear.

"I do not know if Jorge will be able to ride tomorrow, but in any case we have lost two sessions and we will have to work today in order to prepare the bike with an ideal set-up for tomorrow. It will be hard, very hard, as tough as Jorge is."