Jorge Lorenzo will not make his comeback from a back injury until the British Grand Prix on August 25th, it has been confirmed.
The five-time World Champion fractured his T6 and T8 vertebra in a fast fall at Turn Seven during FP1 at the Dutch Grand Prix on June 28th. Having missed the German Grand Prix the following week, Repsol Honda Team Manager Alberto Puig later identified Brno in early August as the likely scene of his comeback.
However the team and Lorenzo have decided to delay his return. The 32-year old stepped up his recovery in recent weeks after spending some time in a protective body brace. While his condition has improved, an official release said, “he is still in some pain and his movement on a bike remains restricted.”
The extra three weeks away from the MotoGP paddock will be used to “continue his recovery and avoid any further risk of injury,” an official statement read.
Factory test rider Stefan Bradl will join the Repsol Honda Team in Brno. The German was originally penciled in to wildcard, but will instead fill in for the injured Lorenzo, as he did at the Sachsenring.
It has been a tough debut year in Repsol Honda colours for Lorenzo, who has yet to score a top ten finish aboard Honda’s RC213V. His best result in 2019 remains an eleventh place at Le Mans. He sits 16th in the World Championship.