Cal Crutchlow wasn't surprised to see Jorge Lorenzo at the top of the timesheets on day one at Catalunya, following the Spaniard's debut win fo🧸r Ducati last time at Mugello.

Lorenzo finished Friday's pair of free practice sessions 0.107s ahead of Suzuki's Andrea Iannone, but a𝄹lmost half-a-second clear of third ⭕place Maverick Vinales.

"Lorenzo nailed a lap, nailed the final sector. He's absolutely on form at the minute," said Crutchlow, who was sixth ꧅overall (+0.528s) but the top Honda rider.

"When he's [riding] like that, it's horrendous!

"Honestly after Mugello, I knew it'd be a difficult weekend here to bea♑t him. T𒆙his was a race he led last year and finished fourth.

"He's riding really well and he ma💧de a very, very good lap.

"He's obviou🧸sly just clicked with the bike a little bit more and is a lot more comforta🍬ble [after the latest parts].

"You 💞can see the way he brakes. He's decelerati𒈔ng better."

Lorenzo will mirror🌜 Crutchlow's career path in moving from Yamaha to Ducati and then, in 2019, Honda machinery.

Crutchlow believes Lorenzo will cont💖inue to be fully backed by Ducati despite his decision to leave, adding cryptically that the triple MotoGP champion's move to Repsol Honda also wo🔥rked out ' very favourable towards me'.

"Ducati will help who is winning, because that's the philosophy," he said. "🍬They are not going to pull support from Lorenzo. If they were pulling support he'd have been tenth today, not fastest.

"I think the [2019 rider moves], if we are talking about my situation, has worked out fantastically. With what has been going on and behinꩵd the scenes, stuff like that. It worked out very favourable towards me."

Why has it been favourable to you?

"Why wouldn't it be? I'm saying it's 🐷favourable to me, but 💦I don't have to tell you why! It is very favourable to me, as you may see soon…"

Returning to the subject of Lorenzo, the LCR rider - contracted directly to Honda until the end of 2019 - felt it was a good move to sign the Spaniard, not least because it denied HRC's rivals of a l🐟eading opponent.

"Honda have sig🔜ned a multiple world champiಞon," he said.

"What they've also done is take away one of the competition from potentially going to anಌot꧙her manufacturer as well.

"And, as Jorge said yesterday, he's won races with every manufacturer and every champion🍨ship he's been in.

"I honestly think it was a good mov෴e. And it was a good move for me as well, as Iꦗ said…"