Marlboro Ducati's Nicky Hayden has said he doesn't blame Jorge Lorenzo for the first-corner crash which saw him hurtle across the gravel trap after the Spaniard smashed into the back of his Demsosedici.

Lorenzo had got a poor start and as everyone started to brake for the Doohan corner, the Fiat Yamaha man hit the rear of Hayden's bike which damaged his front brake setup and he crashed. Hayden, meanwhile, tore across the gravel trap but managed to get back on the track.

“I got probably the best start I have had all season but unfortunately it proved to be my downfall! I’m not sure what happened to Jorge – I saw he got a bad start as I passed him, then the next thing I know I felt a really hard impact," said Hayden.

"It was so hard it tore both our bikes up and obviously he couldn’t keep his upright. Thankfully I did and I got back on track but the thing was so damaged I was just riding around. I considered coming in to conserve the engine but there was always the chance it might rain and give us the opportunity to swap bikes so we stayed out there and tried to stay out of harm’s way.

"I’m disappointed because I felt we had a chance to do something here and apart from anything I was excited to race here because it’s always so much fun. Anyway, I can’t blame Jorge because he is fighting for the championship, he obviously didn’t mean it and I know it is not his style.

"The good thing is that I didn’t get hurt, which could have easily happened in that corner, and now we go to Malaysia and try to get back in the thick end of the points.”