Crutchlow qualified third in the front row for the first time since the 2019 US GP in Aragon last Sunday, but was flooded from the starting line and finished 11th at the end of the opening round.
The LCR driver battled the clutch problem for the first six laps before it finally resolved itself and he finished the race in eighth place.
“We had a problem on the warm-up lap, the clutch slipped on the bike,” explained Crutchlow. “When I shifted into sixth gear, the engine speed increased sharply and I understood that the clutch was slipping. So I drove around the last corner and went to the starting grid. I was on the verge of pitting to get the spare wheel.
“When I got on the grid, I obviously didn’t want to make a good or normal start because that would really heat up the clutch and then I would have gotten into big trouble. In the first three laps of the race, the clutch slipped at all accelerations. Then it got a little better, sliding out of the last corner on the back straight.
“Then of course you can’t overtake anyone. After three laps it only slipped from fifth to sixth in the back straight, but obviously you can’t fight. It stopped around lap six and I was able to prevail, but by then I was already in 12th place. But I think I did a good job getting back to eighth place. “
Also read in the editor:
Crutchlow says his progress on the job was hampered by the fact that he got stuck behind several Ducati riders – “on the rocket wheel” – and that he could get a better result than eighth if he had gotten away with the top flight early on .
“I think I had a good pace, but I got stuck behind the Ducatis,” added Crutchlow. “The speed of the bike was incredible, but it blocked a lot in the corners. But I tried my best today and I’m happy with the way I’ve driven and I’m also happy with the way I got off to a start with the problems I had.
“But I’m disappointed because I think we could have achieved a good result if we had got away with it. [My arm was] not fantastic but it was fine. In the end, I didn’t set any bad lap times [reason] I didn’t get good lap times because the guys in front of me stopped me on the rocket wheel. “