Michelin tires for this edition of the Grand Prix of Catalonia have become a hot topic of conversation and a good reason to get annoyed. It is also a matter of concern, because listening to drivers who swear they can only do five laps before managing the crisis, one wonders what the Sunday race will look like, on an overheated Montmélo track. You have loved the charge of Jack Miller on his gums? You'll love Crutchlow's ride on his puddings.
If we summarize the riders' comments at the end of a Saturday full of crashes in MotoGP, we can detect two favorites for victory this Sunday: a Dani Pedrosa lightweight which will save its tires and a Jorge Lorenzo with pure style that will stress these rubbers less. For the rest of the field, it will be safe and sound.
At least that's what we perceive Cal Crutchlow who missed his day by falling to finish in seventeenth place on the starting grid: “ it's amazing that eight Hondas fell while leaning on the left side of the tire » comments the LCR pilot on speedweek. " We did some tests here two weeks ago, but we don't have the tires we used during these tests. We wasted our time and our money. We took risks for nothing ».
He pursues : " the left side is the softest compound they have. We didn't even use it at Le Mans where bad conditions were expected. But they brought him here. I do not know why. They do what they want, they don't listen to us. Dani is 22 kilos lighter than me and he takes the harder front tire. And he also fell because of the left side ».
« I think it will be nice to start seventeenth. I would have seventeen drivers to overtake. Dani will be the man in this race because he can take the hardest… If you had seen Rossi's front tire at the end of FP4… And it was the hardest. Even the rear tire doesn't last long. It's going to be fun racing because those who start at the front may not even score points. Or maybe we could change tires... »
A final remark also made by Jack Miller...
#CatalanGP J.2: MotoGP Chronos
| 1 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | 1'43.870 | ||
| 2 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 1'44.201 | 0.331 | 0.331 |
| 3 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | 1'44.220 | 0.350 | 0.019 |
| 4 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | 1'44.320 | 0.450 | 0.100 |
| 5 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 1'44.348 | 0.478 | 0.028 |
| 6 | 8 | Hector BARBERA | Ducati | 1'44.381 | 0.511 | 0.033 |
| 7 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1'44.451 | 0.581 | 0.070 |
| 8 | 94 | Jonas Folger | Yamaha | 1'44.600 | 0.730 | 0.149 |
| 9 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 1'44.620 | 0.750 | 0.020 |
| 10 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | 1'44.740 | 0.870 | 0.120 |
| 11 | 45 | Scott REDDING | Ducati | 1'44.852 | 0.982 | 0.112 |
| 12 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | 1'44.928 | 1.058 | 0.076 |
| Q1 Results: | ||||||
| Q2 | 94 | Jonas Folger | Yamaha | 1'44.239 | ||
| Q2 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | 1'44.621 | 0.382 | 0.382 |
| 13 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | 1'44.661 | 0.422 | 0.040 |
| 14 | 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | 1'44.681 | 0.442 | 0.020 |
| 15 | 43 | Jack Miller | Honda | 1'44.829 | 0.590 | 0.148 |
| 16 | 76 | Loris BAZ | Ducati | 1'44.919 | 0.680 | 0.090 |
| 17 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1'45.162 | 0.923 | 0.243 |
| 18 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | 1'45.641 | 1.402 | 0.479 |
| 19 | 53 | Tito RABAT | Honda | 1'45.741 | 1.502 | 0.100 |
| 20 | 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | 1'45.887 | 1.648 | 0.146 |
| 21 | 22 | Sam LOWES | Aprilia | 1'48.803 | 4.564 | 2.916 |
| 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | ||||
| 50 | Sylvain GUINTOLI | Suzuki |
