Stoner plays down injury fears

The Australian aggravated an old injury in falls at Brno and Misano last season, and underwent surgery to repair the damage in October.

He was quickest in pre-season testing at Jerez and Losail but did not complete any long runs, raising suspicions that he would not be fully fit for a race. Stoner admits that the wrist has not completely recovered, but does not expect it to be a problem during the race weekend.

"It's not 100 per cent, but the pain is almost zero now," Stoner told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We've understood the solution and there won't be any problem. But to heal it'll need nine months in total, which is absurd for such a small operation."

When asked about the suggestions that he wouldn't be able to complete a full race distance, Stoner said: "Ok, they can say what they want. In Qatar, if I do five or six laps like I did in testing I can gain a six-second advantage over everyone else. It's a good gap to manage, but I don't think I'll need it."