Britain’s Cal Crutchlow has backed his old works Ducati MotoGP team to win at Mugello on Sunday and has even been into their garage to ask them to slow down.
Andrea Dovizioso was quickest in both sessions today and had the most laps in the 1’47s bracket but Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo is not too far away and is looking for his third win in a row.
The LCR Honda man finished in sixth place after the second free practice session and is looking for more pace in the first sector but says he has some pace on worn tyres which will help at the long Italian track.
“Ducati have such an advantage, I feel, that I honestly believe one of them will win. Dovi more than Iannone as he isn’t as experienced. He is probably technically faster than Dovi but in the race Dovi always beats him, and a lot of the time by a long way,” said Crutchlow, speaking at Mugello.
“We know they would try and take advantage here and rightfully so. I really believe they have done a great job. They always bring a rocketship here. In the engine allocation, they have one just for this race. It’s nice to see. I went to see them last night and told them to slow down.
“I hope a Honda wins the race, first and foremost, but I think they could and Lorenzo is really strong as he carries the momentum. On raceday Valentino is strong, he could qualify 20th and still finish on the podium. I hope I am on the podium.”