Crutchlow: Honda needs neutral bike for young talent

While clearly capable of winning the MotoGP title with Marc Marquez, Honda needs to follow Ducati's example and create a more 'neutral' bike for the future.

That's the opinion of Cal Crutchlow, the second-best Honda rider in the world championship but sixth overall and 102-points from Marquez.

"If in two years, Marc decides he doesn't want to race bikes any more, then the next young hotshot that is going to come, unless it's a neutral bike, they are not going to be able to ride it," said Crutchlow, also the only Honda rider other than Marquez to win a race or stand on the podium this season.

"I think that what they need to do is built a more neutral bike, the same as Ducati have.

"Ducati had a bike at one point that really only Casey [Stoner] could ride then. Casey can ride anything and he would ride anything fast.

"But then they [Ducati] started to make it more of a bike that people would jump on, say 'this is a really easy bike to ride' and were able to go fast with it.

"I think that the Honda is a specific bike to ride, only so many people in the world can go fast on it.

"So when they start to bring the talent up, in some years, I think they are going to have to look at that direction."

Moto2 star Joan Mir is rumoured to have turned down Honda in favour of a MotoGP debut with Suzuki next year, while the other 2019 rookies will race Ducati (Bagnaia), Yamaha (Quartararo) and KTM (Oliveira) machinery.

Meanwhile, triple MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo will leave Ducati and partner Marquez in a dream line-up at Repsol Honda next season.

Marquez gave next year's Honda prototype a brief test following the recent Misano round.

"It was more of a shakedown, for Marc to be able to test it, it's not the finished article," Crutchlow said of the bike. "But we know Honda is working very, very hard to bring the performance of the bike up.

"Because as you know Marc's main competitor at the moment is Ducati and they seem to have a good base bike."

Ducati, which has won the last three races in a row, will start first and second on Sunday's grid with Lorenzo and Andrea Dovizioso.

Crutchlow will start fourth on the grid for Sunday's Aragon MotoGP, one place behind Marquez and two places ahead of the other factory Honda of Dani Pedrosa.

"Dani has a real shot at the podium tomorrow, I believe. He has a good pace, rides well around here and his acceleration from turn 15 – he saves three tenths a lap," Crutchlow said.

"I have the same chassis but a different setting on my bike [to Marquez and Pedrosa]. My bike is bad for a fast lap now but I feel our package is good for consistency. It's just preference and I think in the last few races it seems to have worked for me."