Crutchlow admits FP3 crash to blame for Q1 exit
Cal Crutchlow admits his crash on his outlap during third practice at Mugello was to blame for his failure to progress from Q1, after he'd set the pace on Friday.
Cal Crutchlow, Team LCR Honda
Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
The LCR Honda will line up 13th for Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix after being beaten by fellow satellite riders Johann Zarco and Danilo Petrucci for a place in Q2 during the opening qualifying session.
Crutchlow had pipped the Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso in Friday afternoon’s second practice to end the day fastest, but an early fall at Turn 14 in FP3 prevented him from improving his time and staying inside the top 10.
Speaking after qualifying, the Briton admitted the crash “hindered” him for the rest of the day, as it forced him to switch to a number two bike that was not was well sorted as the one that was damaged in the accident.
“I went out of the pit faster than I did in all the other practices this weekend,” recalled Crutchlow of his crash. “I heated the tyre perfectly and the pressure was good. But it was used from yesterday.
“We know sometimes when you go back out with a used tyre, it’s a disaster. I had a new rear tyre, I was going a lot slower than yesterday, and just crashed out on the outlap.
“This hindered us the whole day, and it was my own fault, so I can’t really complain.
“We never got through to Q2 direct, because my other bike was not set up anywhere near [as well] as the other one, it was a bit of a gamble. I just never had the laptime yesterday after what happened.”
While Crutchlow was back on his primary bike for Q1, he explained a mistake on his best lap proved costly.
"I had a big wobble in the last sector and I lost four tenths," he explained. "If I lost two tenths, I would have been in. And the pace in the next qualifying was not that fast.
"We just got hindered through me crashing in practice and that’s it. I don’t blame anyone, I was pissed off with myself and with the situation."
Zarco tipped to star
Having said on Friday that the Mugello race would be Dovizioso’s to lose, Crutchlow changed his mind on Saturday, and now tips Tech 3 Yamaha rookie Johann Zarco to come through from 11th to win.
“It’s now Zarco’s race to lose, not anybody else’s,” said Crutchlow. “He has better pace than anyone, probably half a second on most riders.
“He used a used tyre for 23 laps, and he did a [1m]48.1[s]. Most people are struggling to do a 48.1 on a new tyre. Then he used a used tyre from yesterday afternoon this morning, and he was doing [1m]47s.
“It’s his race to lose now. We’re all impressed, he’s done really well.”
Additional reporting by Mitchell Adam
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