Lorenzo will race despite missing cut

The Spaniard, who has been plagued by injuries sustained in accidents since winning the Portuguese Grand Prix at the start of the season, was caught off guard when the weather conditions worsened and missed his window of opportunity to qualify for the race.

"It's been a bad day!" he said. "At the start of the qualifying it was drier and this is when I was in the garage trying to improve the bike with my team; I missed my chance and this is when the others set their fastest laps.

"I have had days almost as bad as this before, but I have to say that the fault is not all mine."

Lorenzo's time of 2:23.701 was more than 12s slower than poleman Casey Stoner managed, but the 21-year-old has been cleared to start the race from 17th, and last, on the grid.

The reigning 250cc double-world champion was also critical of Michelin.

"I think that it is evident at the moment that our tyres are not working as they should," he said. "I am a professional however and I have to wait and have confidence in Michelin to find the right way forward.

"For tomorrow it's going to be important to get a good start and try to get in the top ten. The surface is very good but we don't have the grip we need, so whatever happens with the weather, it will be very hard."