After securing his best result since returning for the end of the MotoGP™ season with WithU Yamaha RNF MotoGP™ Team, Cal Crutchlow confirmed at the Malaysian GP that he won’t be testing at the Valencia Test for Yamaha.
Instead, the Yamaha Test Rider – who now has four points scoring rides in five after a P12 result in Sepang – will be at the Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto this week, continuing the Iwata factory’s testing plan before Fabio Quartararo and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™ teammate Franco Morbidelli get their hands on the 2023 YZR-M1 prototype in Valencia.
The big talking point in 2022 has been Yamaha’s lack of straight-line grunt. The Misano Test gave us an early indication that a step had been made, but Crutchlow admitted that Yamaha are yet to find the ultimate direction they want to go in. Four stages of engines have been tested so far ahead of the 2023 campaign, with his private test in Jerez vital in trying to decide which route Yamaha want to go down.
“We've been through four stages of engines. So it depends which one we think,” said the British rider. “The direction is, we need more power and we need more top speed okay. But I don't think we need… We need to change some other things. And this can't be done in a week.
“So we have what we have for now. We test with what we have for now and then let's see for next year. We need to be able to build a bike that we can ride with other riders and fight with other riders because again, like I said before, we can only ride alone. Whether that's the engine, the chassis, the grip of the bike, and then it's slow in the straight. It's difficult to manage when you’re with other riders, really difficult.”
This has been Yamaha’s Achilles’ heel in 2022 – riding in groups. After getting a good start in Malaysia, Quartararo was able to get some clean air in front of him once he’d dispatched Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) and string together a sensational ride to P3. However, at tracks where it’s a little trickier to overtake and Quartararo has been in the pack, progression up the order has been hard to come by.
This is something Crutchlow also experienced in the Malaysian GP when battling in a large group.
“The problem is we can only ride alone. This is our biggest problem. When Frankie (Morbidelli) was at the front of our group he just went across to the next one, but it's just whether you're stuck behind people. You can only ride alone. Fabio rode the whole race on his own by the looks of it and he was fine. Great pace. About to do it.
“Fabio, every time he’s won this year he’s been alone. We need to be able to ride with other people, but on the second lap of the race, my front tyre pressure was so high and I thought, ‘this is going to be a long race’. And then I just had to manage it to the end.”
After his Jerez test outing, the final round in Valencia will come calling and heading there, stablemate Quartararo still has a chance of retaining his premier class crown. Crutchlow believes all the pressure will be on Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, as the Italian aims to claim his maiden MotoGP™ title with a 23-point advantage over Quartararo.
“Fabio did a great job today. Did what he needed to do, which was stay in the hunt. All the pressure is on Bagnaia, not on Fabio, he just has to go and try and win in Valencia. That's all he can do,” commented the three-time premier class race winner.