The British rider, who returned to Yamaha in 2021 after his full-time riding career ended following the 2020 season, made the comments in the wake of his wild card finish in last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi.
Cal Crutchlow’s first race since Valencia last year came in a season in which he spent long periods on the sidelines between tests.
Crutchlow believes Yamaha needs to organize a more consistent testing program if they want him to sign a new contract, given that his current deal expires at the end of the year.
When Motorsport.com asked him if he will continue as a Yamaha test rider in 2024, Crutchlow replied: “I don’t know yet, we need to discuss it. They want me to sign a three-year agreement. We’ll see, but they have to change the testing plan, because at the moment It’s not good enough”
“This year I had nine weeks off after Sepang, then I did three tests in two weeks. Then again 14 weeks of nothing followed by three tests in two weeks. You can’t do it like that.”
“We need to make sure we work more consistently on the bike, also for the engineers. That’s how progress is made. Let’s hope they come up with a better plan and then I’ll make a decision.”
Cal Crutchlow, Team Yamaha Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Crutchlow also clarified that he has no other wild cards scheduled for the final six races of the season, but that he will take part in two more tests, in Jerez and Valencia.
“We needed a dry race and a full race distance to be able to understand the direction to go with the setting we tried,” he said of his race in Japan, which he finished in 13th place.
“I feel like we know the direction to follow, it’s just a question of whether Yamaha will follow it,” he added, perhaps referring to what he had said in relation to the M1’s engine in the previous days, asking for fluidity rather than power. “I hope so, because many engineers also believe that this is the direction to follow and we hope to make progress next year.”
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Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
