Cal Crutchlow adamant MotoGP fill-in does not signal full-time return intent

Cal Crutchlow says he is not thinking about returning to racing full-time after coming back to MotoGP this weekend with the LCR Honda team.

Crutchlow was announced on Thursday as an LCR Honda rider for the Italian MotoGP round as the British rider stepped in to replace the injured Johann Zarco.

Often, a fill-in opportunity for a rider is a way for them to advertise their ability and potential to teams, to show them that they are worth signing on a full-time basis either for the remainder of the current season or for the next one.

But Crutchlow, who raced for LCR between 2015 and 2020, insists his decision to come back this weekend in place of Zarco was about his relationship with team boss Lucio Cecchinello, rather than any desire to obtain a full-time contract, or even a testing role with HRC.

“Well, first of all, I didn't do it for that reason,” Cal Crutchlow said when he was asked after Practice in Italy if he would accept a testing role from Honda off the back of this replacement ride.

“I did it because Lucio [Cecchinello] asked me to. 

“I still really don't know why I did it, but Lucio asked me to do it. I'm here, I'm trying my best.

“This [testing] is a completely different story, you know. 

“One thing that, let's say, people seem to think with this is that I am trying to come back to racing full-time. This is not happening, in any championship, in the baggers, in MotoGP, nothing. 

“I'm not trying to do this because I want to come back racing full-time, this is sure. 

“What will come of it is what will come of it, but I'm not looking at it like that. I'm enjoying the moment. 

“You know, riding the bike and all of these things is okay. Actually the worst thing for me is the emotional, the emotion, you know, to be calm, to say ‘Can you do it, are you able to do it?’ 

“Managing the emotion, the adrenaline, these things, in the moment is the most difficult thing for me.”

Crutchlow ended his first day back with the LCR team 3.2 seconds of the pace, a result, he indicated, that meets his expectations for his own performance, but one that also leaves him frustrated.

“I would have been happy, and now I'm pissed off,” he said.

“But it's normal, which is a good thing. It's a very good thing.”

The three-time MotoGP winner was able to test the bike at Misano before going to Mugello, which showed him that he would be limited in terms of ergonomics and comfort on the bike, but he also noted after Practice how he struggled physically in the changes of direction at Mugello, and especially at the end of the hour-long second session.

“I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it's difficult,” he said.

“I actually felt quite good on the bike. I felt that I understood the bike, I had a good feeling, but the one thing that I keep going back to is the bike is way better than me, you know, and that's the reality of the situation. 

“I don't feel comfortable still ergonomically on the bike, but I knew this already after the last thing, and we can't really do anything at the moment. 

“So I don't really feel that comfortable with regards to that, but I feel okay riding, honestly.

“Physically though, I've just lost the power at the end of that session [Practice].

“If I ride around at a certain pace, I'm fine; if I try to push, I haven't got it, but I've came from riding my bicycle to trying to ride a MotoGP bike around Mugello. 

“These changes of direction is really difficult, because they're on throttle, that's my thing. 

“If [it’s a] change [of] direction and you're off throttle, I'm fine, but physically I'm just not in the shape that I used to be. It will come, you know, with more riding and stuff like that.”

Crutchlow’s teammate for this weekend, Diogo Moreira, finished Practice in 10th, earning his first direct Q2 spot of his rookie year.