Jorge Lorenzo will miss the Australian Grand Prix after sustaining an injury to his left hand as a result of a crash in warm-up.
The MotoGP champion high-sided off his Yamaha exiting Turn 12 at the end of the session, and appeared to emerge unscathed after walking away from the accident. However, after visiting the medical centre for checks, he was deemed unfit to race by medical officials due to an injury to one of his fingers.
With Lorenzo ruled out of the race, his Honda rival Casey Stoner – who will start the race from pole position – now needs only to finish sixth to become MotoGP champion for a second time.