Crutchlow “put it on the line” for final MotoGP qualifying
LCR’s Cal Crutchlow says he “put it on the line” to put his Honda fourth on the grid for the Portuguese Grand Prix in his final MotoGP qualifying appearance.
Crutchlow will end his full-time racing career after this weekend’s race at the Algarve Circuit and will return to Yamaha as its official test rider in 2021.
The LCR rider topped the Q1 session and narrowly missed a final front row start by 0.118 seconds in fourth spot.
Crutchlow admits he nearly crashed at the downhill right-hander of Turn 11 on his best lap and believes that’s where he lost the front row.
“I made a big mistake in my lap in Q1 actually, which obviously didn’t really matter because I got through anyway,” Crutchlow said in response to a question from Motorsport.com.
“I just missed the back of [Danilo] Petrucci into Turn 13, I locked the front wheel. For some reason he was braking and I was still accelerating.
“So, either I missed my braking marker or he braked really early. So, I ran really deep and I thought I was going off the track.
“I managed to put it down, I still did a really good last sector. So, all I thought in Q2 was if I just do a good job in the first three sectors then I knew I could nail sector four.
“The problem was my sector four was still not as quick as my Q1. I did take a couple of tenths, but I braked a little bit early.
“Where I messed up was in sector three, I nearly highsided at Turn 11 down the hill and lost two tenths.
“That was my front row and my chance for pole [gone]. Anyway, I’m happy, I put it on the line today and that’s all I could ask of myself in my last qualifying session.”
Crutchlow exited pitlane for his final Q2 run alongside his best friend Jack Miller, though says there was no plan between the pair to aid the LCR rider’s qualifying.
The Briton admits he knew Miller would be a good rider to follow, but joked the Pramac rider “f***** me” by taking the front row away from him with his last flying lap in third.
“I knew Jack will go for it, so I wanted to position myself in a decent enough place,” he said.
“The problem was the idiot blew Turn 1 so much that he took me in as well.
“I blew Turn 1 a little but still kept on the race track and did not have a bad sector, so I continued my lap.
“And then he f***** me by taking the front row off me on the last lap. So that’s it. So, he’s back in the bad books and we’re not speaking anymore.
“No, it wasn’t a plan. Jack knows I’m the older statesman out of the two of us, he’s got the respect to turn me around because with the old age, getting going isn’t that easy.
“The funny thing is I always struggle on the outlaps. He knows that I struggle on the outlap.
“And he pushed like mad on the outlap to catch maybe [Franco] Morbidelli or someone.
“And I was thinking ‘fuck, I can’t even keep up on the outlap’. But then obviously I got a good lap to manage at that point the front row and fourth position for turn 1.”
Previous article
“Impossible” to aim for MotoGP wins on Yamaha – Vinales
Next article
Miller’s Portimao race won’t be dictated by Ducati title hopes
About this article
| Series | MotoGP |
| Event | Portuguese GP |
| Drivers | Cal Crutchlow |
| Teams | Team LCR |
| Author | Lewis Duncan |
MotoGP 2021 kicks off in Qatar
Mandalika Circuit update
MotoGP Starting Grid: Doha Grand Prix
MotoGP Starting Grid: Qatar Grand Prix
Top 10 most successful Repsol Honda Team riders
Where does Espargaro sit ahead of Marquez's return?
Pol Espargaro’s first results as a Honda MotoGP rider may not appear special. But dig a little deeper and a clearer picture of his performance emerges. And, as Lewis Duncan writes, it’s cause for celebration at Honda with the return of Marc Marquez set to provide Espargaro with the reference he has been missing so far this year
The "pit bull" MotoGP rookie already drawing legendary comparisons
MotoGP’s 2021 rookie crop is one of the strongest in recent years, but one is already standing out. Jorge Martin’s Doha GP heroics have courted many to compare him to numerous MotoGP legends. Autosport spoke to Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti to find out why MotoGP’s latest Spanish star is already making such an impact
Why MotoGP's stewards must revisit Miller and Mir's Losail clash
Despite Suzuki’s decision not to appeal against Race Direction’s refusal to penalise Jack Miller following the incident with Joan Mir in Losail, something must be done to avoid a repeat of such an incident, which could have easily ended in tragedy
Why MotoGP’s top gun looks more dangerous at the Doha GP
Lightning hasn't struck twice for Maverick Vinales since 2017 and his wayward form of recent years makes predicting how he'll fare each MotoGP race weekend tricky. But fresh from his Qatar GP win, Vinales looks like an even more dangerous prospect for the Doha GP following an intriguing Friday practice.
Why MotoGP’s new Amazon Prime series is long overdue
OPINION: MotoGP is getting its own version of Drive to Survive on Amazon Prime at some point in the near future. It was news welcomed by the grid’s leading riders. And following the impact DTS has had on Formula 1, MotoGP desperately needs the same boost.
The key changes behind the latest 'return of the Mack'
Maverick Vinales’s authoritative victory at the MotoGP season opener came during a period of personal and professional change for the Yamaha rider. Can it be the springboard for a title challenge?
Why Lorenzo needs to ditch social media and enjoy retirement
OPINION: Jorge Lorenzo's status as one of the greatest MotoGP riders of all time is hard to dispute. But his constant social media spats with fellow riders and insistence on listing his achievements to his detractors are running the risk of tarnishing a legacy he worked hard to create.
Can leaving a factory team end Rossi’s MotoGP win drought?
It is over three-and-a-half years since the Italian national anthem rang out to declare a Valentino Rossi victory in MotoGP. To some onlookers his move out of the factory Yamaha squad meant the 2017 Dutch TT could remain his final win, but after an encouraging transition at Petronas SRT hope is far from lost
