Franco Morbidelli out of Brno MotoGP: “Difficult to take decisions like this”

Franco Morbidelli will not take part in this weekend’s Czech Republic MotoGP at Brno, due to the injuries sustained in a Sprint race crash at Sachsenring.

The VR46 Ducati rider was ruled out of last Sunday’s German Grand Prix after hurting his left shoulder during a heavy wet-weather fall in Saturday’s Sprint.

After undergoing further medical checks and physiotherapy at the start of the week, team and rider have decided he should sit out the final event before the summer break.

“Following two days of medical checks, physiotherapy sessions and rest, we decided together with the team to miss this GP at Brno,” Morbidelli confirmed.

“It’s always difficult to take decisions like this, but after a heavy crash like the one I had in Sachsenring -  and in this moment of the championship before the summer break - it doesn’t make any sense to take risks, because the pain is still persistent.”

Although Morbidelli won’t be on the grid, he will still attend the Czech round.

“This weekend I will be at Brno because I want to keep working with my staff, and the team gives me the opportunity of continuing at the track all the physiotherapy program to come back to Austria as much recovered as possible,” he added.

“Obviously, it’s not an easy moment, but I received a lot of support from all my team, the VR46 Riders Academy and all the fans who look forward to seeing me fully recovered.”

Fabio di Giannantonio, currently just three points ahead of Morbidelli in the standings, will be VR46’s sole representative at the Czech Republic MotoGP.