Cal Crutchlow will start the Michelin® Australian Grand Prix on Sunday from the front row of the starting grid after posting a brilliant performance during qualifying which saw him set the second fastest time of the race. the whole weekend.
With the position of first satellite driver on the grid again, the representative of the LCR Honda team had already come a long way in order to be able to participate in the final qualifying session. During the preliminary session, Q1, he had in fact driven two seconds faster than all the other competitors on asphalt which still remained very wet. He then once again produced a breathtaking lap during the 15 minutes of Q2 with a bike fitted with an intermediate tire at the front and a slick compound at the rear on a track which presented still some damp spots. He therefore set his best time in 1'30.981.
MotoGP riders have so far been unable to complete a single lap in completely dry conditions at the Phillip Island circuit. With Friday marked by torrential rain, the morning session this Saturday was also disrupted by rain and the 30-year-old Briton, who had set the best time on the first day of testing in the wet, missed the opportunity to set a good time when the track conditions were the best. This therefore meant that he was forced to compete in Q1 alongside a few other big names in the discipline but Cal Crutchlow as usual gave the best of himself by largely dominating the session.
Since they have not been able to ride on dry asphalt at all since the start of the weekend, the MotoGP riders will benefit from an extended Sunday warm-up, obviously hoping that the race can take place in dry conditions. . However, due to the uncertainty of the weather forecast, everyone will be in the unknown on Sunday until the red lights go out for the 27-lap Grand Prix.
Cal Crutchlow #35 – 2rd (1'30.981)
“I thought I could have set a benchmark time firstly with the intermediate tires before coming in at the end of the session to try to put in a really fast lap with the slick tyre. I knew I couldn't put a slick tire on the front because it wasn't ready on my second bike. Unfortunately it didn't work as well as hoped and it's only my fault because I should have followed my own instinct at the start of the session by starting the qualifying session directly with slick tires. It's not like me though because I would usually have been the first to leave the pits with slick tyres, but I'm not unhappy with the end result anyway.”
“The LCR Honda team has done an outstanding job again this weekend and everyone is working so hard to make all the necessary changes. The weather conditions have not been in our favor for two days and are making things more complicated for everyone with the cold and the rain. We appreciate even more the support of the public and fans who brave the elements! This is why we must offer them a great show tomorrow.”
