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Cal Crutchlow was more surprised to discover Honda has hired Pol Espargaro for 2021 than he was to discover that there isn’t a place for him within the HRC MotoGP set-up after six seasons of service.
Crutchlow will be replaced on the satellite LCR Honda by Alex Marquez, as the reigning champion Marc Marquez’s brother is moved aside from the factory Repsol team to make way for Espargaro.
“If they had chosen someone like Dovi it would be a different feeling for me than if they’d chosen a guy who has had one podium in seven years” :: Cal Crutchlow
The decision to leave Honda seems to be largely a mutual one after a difficult time in recent seasons for Crutchlow – and with a factory Aprilia deal waiting in the wings.
But, while he might not be shocked, he told The Race that he was a little perplexed by the new Honda line-up and Espargaro being recruited from KTM.
“It didn’t come as a surprise, because I knew a while ago and Honda knew that I had requested to speak to other teams,” Crutchlow told The Race.
“It worked both ways, and I wasn’t massively surprised at the decision.
“I was more surprised at who they chose.
“That’s not being disrespectful, but if they had chosen someone like [Andrea] Dovi[zioso] it would be a different scenario or a different feeling for me than if they’d chosen a guy who has had one podium in seven years.
“Moving Alex is a bad situation for him to be moved out of the factory team straight away too.”
He’s adamant that there is no bad blood between him and Honda about the decision to part ways, with an impressive record from the past five years meaning he’s got plenty to be proud of.
“There are absolutely no hard feelings. I’ve had five great years and we’ve made a lot of memories together, with three race wins and 12 podiums. Without Honda I wouldn’t have been able to do that and they wouldn’t have got them without me.
“I’ve been the only guy on the Honda in the past four years who could be close to Marc, and when you look at Jack [Miller], Scott [Redding], Tito [Rabat], Franco [Morbidelli], Tom [Luthi] – the results speak for themselves. I’ve done a good job and my team has done a good job.”
And, with development still needing to happen for 2021, it looks like he will for now at least, retain his role as Honda’s chief tester.
That’s normally something that ends immediately when a racer announces a switch to another manufacturer, but it seems like both the 2020 coronavirus situation and Honda’s need for someone to trial new parts means Crutchlow will remain inside the loop.
“I used something today that the factory team didn’t have,” he said on Wednesday evening after MotoGP’s Jerez session ahead of this weekend’s first race.
“They know how important my feedback has been over the years and they’re using me to do some work for them. I believe that they’ll continue to support me and I’ll continue to do the best job I can for the rest of the year.”
