Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Recommended for you

Red Bull went against Verstappen's set-up feedback: “Sometimes they have to feel it”

Formula 1
Canadian GP
Red Bull went against Verstappen's set-up feedback: “Sometimes they have to feel it”

What we learned from the 2026 F1 Canadian GP sprint race and qualifying

Feature
Formula 1
Canadian GP
What we learned from the 2026 F1 Canadian GP sprint race and qualifying

Verstappen reignites quit threats amid doubts over 2027 F1 rule changes

Formula 1
Canadian GP
Verstappen reignites quit threats amid doubts over 2027 F1 rule changes

Update: Hamilton avoids Canadian GP grid penalty for impeding Gasly

Formula 1
Canadian GP
Update: Hamilton avoids Canadian GP grid penalty for impeding Gasly

F1 Canadian GP: Russell beats Antonelli and Norris to last-gasp Montreal pole

Formula 1
Canadian GP
F1 Canadian GP: Russell beats Antonelli and Norris to last-gasp Montreal pole

Why Wolff must apply a different lesson from 2016 with Antonelli and Russell

Formula 1
Canadian GP
Why Wolff must apply a different lesson from 2016 with Antonelli and Russell

Gloves off at Mercedes? Russell-Antonelli duel shows glimpse of F1 2026 battle

Feature
Formula 1
Canadian GP
Gloves off at Mercedes? Russell-Antonelli duel shows glimpse of F1 2026 battle

LIVE: F1 Canadian Grand Prix updates - Russell leads Antonelli in Montreal

Formula 1
Canadian GP
LIVE: F1 Canadian Grand Prix updates - Russell leads Antonelli in Montreal

Cal Crutchlow confused by criticism of MotoGP's Barcelona chicane

LCR Honda's Cal Crutchlow says he cannot understand why other MotoGP riders are complaining about changes to the Barcelona circuit ahead of this weekend's Catalunya Grand Prix

Following the death of Moto2 rider Luis Salom in a Friday practice accident, riders contested the rest of the 2016 event on a variation of the layout used by Formula 1, including bypassing Turn 12 where Salom crashed.

A dedicated chicane for MotoGP has now been built, before F1's Turns 14 and 15, which riders sampled during a test last month.

Ducati's Jorge Lorenzo said he felt the new chicane would help Honda, but Crutchlow says he is puzzled by the talk.

"Everyone is complaining about the new chicane because we chose it and we can't really complain about it when we chose it," Crutchlow said.

"Sure we chose to go round the Formula 1 part [in 2016] because it was safer and then we were told that it wasn't because the walls were too high, so we said 'OK, make it this way'.

"They've done that and now everyone is complaining about that.

"In the end, there's nothing we can do about that."

When told about Lorenzo believing the change hands Honda an advantage, Crutchlow said: "Lorenzo thinks anything will favour anyone else unless it's helping him.

"He was alright at the test."

The Briton believes tyre wear will be a factor, based on how lap times dropped off during the test in mid-May after the French Grand Prix.

"It would be a long race because you see the long runs by some people over 20 laps and some people were dropping five seconds a lap," he said.

"You go from Le Mans where Maverick [Vinales] sets the fastest lap on the last lap and then in Barcelona they do 20 laps and on the 20th lap they were five seconds slower than they were on the first and second lap.

"Everyone is in the same boat and it's about if you can limit it and drop three-and-a-half seconds or five seconds"

However Honda stablemate and reigning world champion Marc Marquez believes the drop is much less significant and in the region of "one second-and-a-half.

"Already Montmelo is a circuit that with the new tyre you feel a lot because it's very long corners and also you push a lot tyres," he said.

"The problem is in the morning, with the cold temperature, it looks like it dropped more.

"There was a problem but then during the day was more normal, we worked with the set-up and it was normal.

"But of course if you put the soft tyre on, like some riders, you drop four seconds - if you put the hard rear, you keep [the pace]."

Previous article KTM to add third MotoGP bike for mid-season grands prix
Next article Andrea Dovizioso: MotoGP riders have to take risks when training

Top Comments

Latest news