Andrea Iannone in pain after motorcross accident

A recent motocross accident meant Andrea Iannone had to ride through the pain barrier during the first day of practice ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

MotoGP returns from the mid-season break with the event at the Red Bull Ring this weekend, but Iannone was still feeling the effects of an injury sustained during the period.

The Italian enjoyed a holiday in Ibiza and suffered a side injury while motocross riding, returning with the second-fastest time across Friday's practice sessions in Spielberg.

Iannone was given painkillers to help cope with the demands of riding, and, despite the pain, he was pleased with his performance.

"It has been a pretty positive day for me, although I have had some pain in my side from a fall I suffered in a recent motocross training accident," said Iannone.

"I also need to thank doctor Zasa from the Clinica Mobile who helped me a lot today, and thanks to the painkillers I have been able to start off in Austria without too much pain.

"Fortunately on this track there aren't too many changes of direction, so I don't have to suffer too much."

The Ducati rider was outdone by team-mate Andrea Dovizioso in FP1 and FP2, and he feels the team have enough pace to leave Spielberg with a positive result.

"We have the speed and that's important to be able to be a protagonist in the race, but we need to make the rear tyre slide less through the corners, because that could become a problem over a longer distance," he continued.

"However, we're working well and we need to continue like this."