Crutchlow lambasts MotoGP race direction

The Red Bull Ring was deemed dangerous in wet conditions after a crash-filled rainy Moto2 session from last year, and Crutchlow was unhappy with how the Friday afternoon programme commenced after torrential rain hit the track.

In addition to that, Crutchlow tweeted that race direction should be "sacked" after Luca Marini crashed during Moto2 qualifying and marshals tried to clear his bike from the track at Turn 7 under double yellows.

"The rain yesterday was a joke," said Crutchlow, who qualified fifth for the Austrian Grand Prix. "For our session, for Moto2, just horrendous, around the most dangerous circuit there is.

"Then they sent the Red Bull Rookie [Cup riders] out, just going around on five-inch tyres or whatever they are.

"Then today there is a bike in the track, people crashing, four marshals trying to pick a bike up with flat tyre and this guy [race director Mike Webb] is doing nothing upstairs, absolutely nothing.

"We told him last night in the Safety Commission. We don't agree with his decisions at the moment, at all.

"I don't understand, they say there is no problem to put out the red flag, there is no time lost, as such, they're fine to put it out. But they never put it out. Maybe [he] just doesn't like the colour red, I have no idea."

Crutchlow was also frustrated by frequent grid penalties for blocking, such as the three-place sanction picked up by Franco Morbidelli for impeding Aleix Espargaro.

"They are putting penalties left, right and centre for a lot of stuff that shouldn't even be penalties," added the Brit. "You can sometimes sort the stuff out by just walking around to the other guy's garage saying sorry, that's it, done, who cares.

"In the middle of practice or whatever, and he is handing out three-place grid penalties.

"But I am not the only rider, I just say it because they are probably all scared to say it. But it is the reality, everybody agrees, every rider I know completely agrees."

Additional reporting by Gerald Dimbreck