Cal Crutchlow opens up on MotoGP comeback, retirement and 2027 rule changes

From speaking to the British MotoGP legend before the British MotoGP round, it seems like retirement suits Cal Crutchlow. Or at least that's what he'd have you believe.

The former MotoGP race winner has returned to the paddock this season in his role as super-sub for the still-injured Johan Zarco. But while he's adamant there's no desire to race full-time again, it doesn't take long before his competitive instincts begin to creep back in.

Speaking to Visordown ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Crutchlow reflected on life after racing, the challenge of jumping back onto a MotoGP bike after such a long break, why modern machines are physically harder to ride than ever before, and why he believes next year's rule changes are exactly what the championship needs.

The bigger question, though, was whether standing in for Zarco, and being back in the MotoGP paddock, had been enjoyable.

“‘Enjoying’ is probably a strong word" he admits. "It's tough. This isn't an easy game to come out of for two years and then just jump back into.

"I hadn't ridden a bike at all in those two years until I came back and did about 30 laps at Misano before Mugello. It's not something you can just pick up again. This isn't a game to be played at.

"I only came back because Honda and HRC asked me to. I wouldn't have done it for anybody else."

That loyalty to Honda is obvious throughout the conversation. But despite returning to MotoGP machinery, Crutchlow insists it hasn't reignited any desire to chase a full-time ride.

"I don't necessarily miss the sport," he says thoughtfully. "I miss the competitiveness. I miss racing, let's say. But I was perfectly happy sitting at home watching it on TV as well.

"I'm not looking at this thinking I want to come back and race full-time, because I don't. One hundred per cent [I don’t].

"For me, it's actually nice knowing I'm only doing seven race weekends and then I go home again. In a way, the pressure is off."

Except, of course, it never really is, not in MotoGP. In fact, already this season, Cal’s stand-in role for the LCR team has gone on longer than expected. Despite this, Cal seems relaxed, almost like he’s enjoying being the most experienced and GP weekend-savvy rider in the paddock.

"The pressure comes from myself," he laughs. "At the start I just told myself I’ll just ride around, wave to the crowd, enjoy the atmosphere and have some fun. Then all of a sudden you're annoyed because you want to be competitive again … But that's actually a good thing. It means you still care."

That competitive edge was forged in a very different era of MotoGP. Crutchlow debuted in the premier class before aerodynamic appendages, ride-height devices and tyre pressure regulations transformed the bikes into the highly engineered ground-to-ground missiles we see today. Few riders have experienced the sport's recent technical evolution quite as completely as the Coventry-born 40-year-old has.

"The biggest difference is the physicality," he explains. "People don't really understand how much grip these bikes generate now. They're absolutely glued to the floor. You can't even wheelie them anymore. No matter how hard you try, they just won't lift.

"I actually preferred the bikes from around 2015 to 2019. There was enough downforce then. The bikes were still incredibly difficult to ride, but they hadn't gone as far as they have now."

"I'm not saying they've gone too far because everyone has the same rules and everyone has the same opportunities. It's not like one manufacturer has something the others don't. It is what it is."

With sweeping technical regulation changes arriving next season, reducing engine capacity to 850cc while cutting aerodynamic freedom and limiting ride-height devices, Crutchlow believes MotoGP is moving in the right direction.

"I think anything that makes the championship more competitive is a good move," he says.

"At the minute the riders are so close to the limit that it's really difficult to pass each other. Then you've got the tyre pressure rules on top of that.

"Personally, I'd go back to the old tyres where you actually had to manage them over race distance. Now you don't really have to. Everybody can push at one hundred per cent for the whole race.

"Back between about 2015 and 2020 you had to manage the tyres, manage the race and think about what you were doing. The bikes were harder to ride because of that, and it created a lot more overtaking opportunities."

It's a perspective that only someone who has raced across multiple technical eras can really offer. While fans often focus on horsepower or aerodynamics, Crutchlow believes tyre management has quickly become one of the biggest strategic elements in modern MotoGP.

I was keen to find out what life away from the track looked like now for the 3-time MotoGP race winner, and it seems that on that front, life has changed too. Now living in Dubai, Crutchlow still considers another famous motorcycling destination to be home.

"I've still got my place on the Isle of Man," he says. "My daughter was born there, and I was only back on the island recently, so I'd still say it's home."

And despite never racing the TT himself, his admiration for the event hasn't faded.

"I always watch the TT. If I'm not there, I'll watch it online and follow the live timing. I'm a massive fan of the TT. In my opinion, it's probably the best race in the world."

For someone who insists he doesn't miss MotoGP, Crutchlow still talks about racing with unmistakable passion, and that spark most definitely hasn't disappeared. He's no longer chasing championship points every other weekend, nor does he want to. But ask him to throw a leg over a MotoGP bike and suddenly the old competitive instincts come flooding back. Cal Crutchlow is living proof that some racers never really stop being racers. 

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