Cal Crutchlow will start Sunday's German Grand Prix from the fifth row on the grid after losing any chance of entering the final qualifying session by a tiny margin of just five hundredths of a second.
The LCR Honda team rider made no secret of his frustration at having to take part in the repechage session after being slowed down by a slower competitor during the third free practice session, thus denying him direct entry. in Q2. Although he achieved the sixth fastest time in the two qualifying sessions after failing to reach the Top 2 at the end of Q1, the 30-year-old Briton will therefore start from 13rd place on the grid of the Germanic track.
The pace set by the Coventry native throughout the weekend's free practice sessions suggested that he could have aimed for a position more in line with his ambitions on the grid. Given the speed at which he manages to progress, Cal Crutchlow is hopeful of being able to quickly overtake several competitors during the first laps of the race in order to obtain an honorable result whatever the weather conditions.
Cal Crutchlow #35 – 13rd (1'21.783)
“We honestly should have been able to qualify directly in Q2. During FP3, it seemed that Stefan Bradl was driving in the middle of the track. He probably made a mistake before returning to the track right in front of me and it completely ruined my lap. We then encountered problems with the rear brake which compromised the rest of my session.”
“I'm really disappointed in a way you can't imagine. We took a gamble together with the team to use an already well-proven front tire for the qualifying session because we no longer had enough new rubber in our allocation. We took this risk because we needed it for Q2, it's as simple as that. As we could see, the lap times were not extraordinary even if my Q1 time would have allowed me to occupy sixth position.”
“I would say I think I'm the fourth fastest driver here, so being only 13rd place is a joke. I'm obviously unhappy but there's nothing else I can do at the moment except to concentrate on tomorrow's race and give it my best.”
