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Cal Crutchlow has stated that he still doesn't "miss" MotoGP, despite making a return to the grid for a few races as a stand-in for Johann Zarco at the LCR Honda team.
Crutchlow retired from active racing at the end of 2020 after his sixth season as a full-time rider for Honda's satellite team – the outfit with which he secured three premier class victories. The British rider then competed in several races for Yamaha, where he served as a test rider until 2024.
Two years followed during which he didn't race, but he made a comeback to deputize for Johann Zarco after the Frenchman was injured in Catalunya, and Honda couldn't utilize any of their test riders to fill the spot. However, racing isn't something Crutchlow has missed, and that hasn't changed since his temporary return in Zarco's mid-season absence.
“No,” the Briton responded at the press conference before the British Grand Prix when asked if his return made him regret his retirement. “It’s not an easy game to step away from it for two years and then come back, having not ridden a bike at all in those two years, before doing 30 laps at Misano just before Mugello.
“It’s not a game to play around with. I love the sport. I haven’t come back for any other reason than I was asked to come back – Honda and LCR asked me to come back. I wouldn’t do it for anyone else.
“So, I don’t necessarily miss the sport; I miss the competitive spirit – let’s say I miss the races themselves. But I also had no problem sitting at home watching on TV, so I don’t look at it as wanting to come back to racing because I don’t want to, that’s 100 percent sure. I’m 40 years old, I’ll be 41 in a few months – I’m not stupid,” Crutchlow said.
“For me, the pressure actually comes from myself. At first, I thought, ‘I’ll just ride, wave to the crowd, take things as they come,’ and then suddenly you start getting annoyed and want to be competitive,” the Briton added, commenting on the pressure he feels on the track.
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