Dani Pedrosa admitted that he was still feeling weak after German Grand Prix qualifying at the Sachsenring.
The Spaniard qualified second for the race, 0.252s behind his Honda team-mate Casey Stoner, but said that he had not yet shaken off the effects of surgery on his right collarbone that forced him to miss three earlier races.
"It still feels very recent and I still feel some weakness," said Pedrosa. "At least this track has many left-handers, so it gives me a bit more rest on my right arm and lets me give more focus on my riding.
"The first part of the lap is always tight - especially at the start - so being near the front is very good."
Pedrosa, who has won the German Grand Prix twice in the past four years, believes that his Honda still needs to be fine-tuned in order to be competitive in Sunday's race.
"We have to try to set up bike for tomorrow," he added. "We look for something else tonight and hopefully we will have some good pace tomorrow."