Yamaha says it is "adjusting" its targets for the Malaysian Grand Prix, claiming a podium finish this weekend would be unrealistic.
Last year's MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo is missing this weekend's race after he injured his hand in the Australian Grand Prix. He is being replaced by test rider Katsuyuki Nakasuga.
Teammate Ben Spies has been cleared to race, but the American will not be 100 percent after suffering ripped soft tissue around the rib area in a crash at Philip Island.
Team manager Wilco Zeelenberg said it would be unrealistic to set the usual targets given the circumstances.
"Our targets need to be adjusted for this round," said Zeelenberg. "Normally it would be the podium but that's not necessarily realistic for Sunday. We need to see how Nakasuga-san rides, we know his best lap time is 2:02.4 here, which is not so bad.
"This will be his first grand prix, so it will be a new experience for him. There won't be much grip to start with after the rain here so we hope he will stay steady and remember we have four practices to go. He has all the freedom to push the bike to the limit; we want him to be comfortable to race and not to treat the weekend as just a test."
Spies added: "Unfortunately, I'm definitely still recovering from Phillip Island, but I'm going to give it 100 percent as we always do. It's frustrating but it's been a bit of a year for bad luck. We'll do the best with what we've got and see what we can achieve."