Marlboro Ducati's Valentino Rossi is being forced to play the waiting game with the hand he injured in the Motegi crash last time out and although the swelling on his right pinky has reduced he is still not sure what will happen when he puts pressure on it come Friday practice.

The Doctor had to forgo a test on the Desmosedici GP12 at Jerez because of the damage, handing riding duties to team-mate Nicky Hayden but he took positives from his practice and qualifying performances in Japan, saying his GP11.1 is now better balanced.

“At Motegi, despite the outcome of the race and what the consequences of the crash turned out to be, there were a number of positive aspects. We worked well on the bike’s balance and setup, and in the end, from that point of view, we had one of the most positive weekends of the season," said the nine-times world champion.

"Phillip Island is another track where the Ducati has always gone well, as have I, so we hope to be able to work as well as we did in Japan. As far as my hand is concerned, the swelling is reduced, and we still have a couple of days before we go on the track. We just have to wait for Friday morning to see how it reacts."