Zarco ruled out of Friday practice after surgery

Reale Avintia Ducati rider Johann Zarco

Johann Zarco has been ruled out of practice at the Styrian Grand Prix on Friday but could still race this weekend despite suffering a fractured scaphoid.  

The Reale Avintia Ducati rider underwent surgery on Wednesday after breaking a bone in his right wrist in a horrific crash at the Austrian Grand Prix last Sunday.  

A shaken Zarco knew he was "very lucky" to avoid serious injury in a shocking high-speed collision with Franco Morbidelli at the Red Bull Ring.  

The duo went flying off their bikes, which came perilously close to hitting Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales as they hurtled across the track.   

Zarco will not be on back on the same track at Spielberg five days after the incident, but the Frenchman will be checked again to see if he can return to action on Saturday.  

The 30-year-old posted a picture of himself on Instagram following the operation with his arm in a sling giving the thumbs up, writing: "Hi everyone! All good with the operation! Let see now how fast can be my recovery!"

Rossi on Tuesday criticised Zarco for a "serious error in judgement", sharing footage of the incident via his onboard camera on Instagram.

He wrote on social media: “I understand that in the race we play for so much and everyone gives their best to be at the front, but we must not forget that ours is a dangerous sport, and the safety of us and our opponents is far more important than gaining a position.

"Zarco didn't intentionally cause such a carambola [crash] but it still remains a serious error in judgement, one which a MotoGP rider cannot afford, especially at 310kph."

He added: "The images from my camera are the ones that scare me the most because from here you can understand the speed with which Franco's motorcycle crossed the track in front of me.

"It passed so quickly I didn't see it, and when I went back to the pits I was already shaken enough after seeing Zarco's motorcycle literally flying over Maverick's head."