The MotoGP class reassembled at the Red Bull Ring on Friday for the opening sessions of free practice ahead of this weekend’s Styrian Grand Prix. It proved a tough day for LCR Honda CASTROL rider Cal Crutchlow who had to settle for 18th position in the combined times as he again worked hard to fine-tune the set-up of his 2020 RC213V machine.
Looking to better his 15th place finish in last Sunday’s race at the same venue, Crutchlow was 18th fastest in FP1 – although less than half a second outside the top 10. He improved to finish 13th in a sun-drenched FP2 session, but acknowledged afterwards he has work to do ahead of qualifying if he is to secure a good position on the grid.
Cal Crutchlow – 18th (1’24.560)
“Today again was a tough day with the bike. It seems that we tried something this morning that worked better in the morning, but in the afternoon session the feeling of the bike felt exactly the same as last weekend. It’s the same with any set-up we try with the bike, it’s difficult to find any improvement and I have no real idea why. Also when we put the new tyre on, we go one tenth fastest when you should be going a lot faster than this and that seems to be the problem that me and the other 2020 Honda riders are struggling with. We need to work this out and assess this situation more and, once we do, we can be more competitive. I feel like I’m riding the bike in a good way, the best I can to give the information to improve, but, at the moment, we’re a bit lost as to which direction to take.”
Results FP2:
| Pos | Rider | Team | Fastest lap |
| 1 | Pol ESPARGARO | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1’23.638 |
| 2 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | LCR Honda IDEMITSU | 1’23.904 |
| 3 | Joan MIR | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | 1’23.907 |
| 4 | Alex RINS | Team SUZUKI ECSTAR | 1’24.009 |
| 5 | Maverick VIÑALES | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | 1’24.060 |
| 6 | Miguel OLIVEIRA | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 1’24.118 |
| 7 | Franco MORBIDELLI | Petronas Yamaha SRT | 1’24.187 |
| 8 | Aleix ESPARGARO | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | 1’24.366 |
| 9 | Valentino ROSSI | Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP | 1’24.378 |
| 10 | Brad BINDER | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | 1’24.427 |
| 11 | Iker LECUONA | Red Bull KTM Tech 3 | 1’24.429 |
| 12 | Alex MARQUEZ | Repsol Honda Team | 1’24.463 |
| 13 | Cal CRUTCHLOW | LCR Honda CASTROL | 1’24.560 |
| 14 | Fabio QUARTARARO | Petronas Yamaha SRT | 1’24.643 |
| 15 | Andrea DOVIZIOSO | Ducati Team | 1’24.774 |
| 16 | Michele PIRRO | Pramac Racing | 1’24.807 |
| 17 | Jack MILLER | Pramac Racing | 1’24.925 |
| 18 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati Team | 1’24.985 |
| 19 | Bradley SMITH | Aprilia Racing Team Gresini | 1’25.025 |
| 20 | Stefan BRADL | Repsol Honda Team | 1’25.057 |
| 21 | Tito RABAT | Esponsorama Racing | 1’25.221 |
Source: motogp.com, lcr.mc