Monster Yamaha’s Cal Crutchlow is still getting to grips with the switch to MotoGP’s Bridgestone control tyres and says that it is very difficult to get heat into them as quickly as you need to.

The former World Supersport Champion got this best finish of the year so far with a seventh at Barcelona but struggled in the early stages and then used his tyre catching and passing Marlboro Ducati’s Nicky Hayden. Crutchlow finished only 26 seconds behind winner Casey Stoner at a circuit he hadn't seen before Thursday it and bodes well for his home Silverstone round next weekend.

Earlier in the weekend, the ex-footballer commented on how the tyre’s performance could be markedly different and the fact they caught out tvastly-experienced eam-mate Colin Edwards who, until today, hadn’t missed a race since 2003 but broke his collarbone in a free practice crash.

"There are two extremes.You can take three laps to get it up to temperature or you can take one corner. Nicky and Casey are the only two that can do it in one corner because they have the bollocks to do it or they have learned to do it on the Ducati,” said Crutchlow.

"Colin's crash was on a cold tyre and those Bridgestones catch you out. It has already happened to the two most experienced people last year and this year and then Bautista in Qatar. If you go flat out into the corner straight away, it will grip but if you go in half and half it might but it's not right.

"My two soft tyres we used for qualifying, I did the out-lap and the next lap to get get some heat in before I went fast but on the hard tyre I went fast straightaway. It's weird and should be the other way round. You know where you are with Pirellis, you do a fast lap then they fall to bits!”