Rizla Suzuki’s Álvaro Bautista has returned to Spain to begin his recuperation as he starts on the road to recovery following the broken femur he suffered at Qatar last weekend. Bautista broke his left femur in a huge high-side crash at Losail on Friday 18th March and undertook an operation to insert a metal pin into the bone on the following morning in Doha. The surgery was a success, but Bautista suffered some minor complications as he developed Compartmental Syndrome, which occurs when pressure within the muscles around the injury builds to dangerous levels. This pressure can decrease blood flow, which prevents nourishment and oxygen from reaching nerve and muscle cells and hampering the healing process. Bautista had to have a second small operation to open a surgical cut in his leg to relieve the pressure and the wound was left open (covered with a sterile dressing), as the Spanish star was then transferred by medical plane back to Madrid to receive further treatment. Bautista was immediately examined by Dr Angel Villamor upon his arrival in Spain and another small operation was conducted to close the wound. This procedure was a success and the pressure around the injury has now decreased, which enabled Bautista to take his first few tentative steps on Thursday with his physiotherapist. Rizla Suzuki’s Spanish star has no confirmed date for his racing return to the MotoGP arena, but Bautista will be doing all he can to be back amongst the action as soon as possible. His first target is to be present at the Spanish Grand Prix to support the team on Sunday 3rd April, as he aims to return to full fitness as quickly as he can.