Marco Bezzecchi
Cal Crutchlow is set to return to MotoGP for the first time in three years this weekend, and has explained why he changed his mind on replacing the injury-stricken Johann Zarco after initially saying no to LCR.
British MotoGP fans finally have a rider to cheer for this season, following Cal Crutchlow’s confirmed entry at the 2026 Italian Grand Prix. It marks the first time that a Brit has been on the grid since the last time he competed in the premier class, back in 2023.
Is Cal Crutchlow Honda’s best option to replace Johann Zarco?
He will be riding in place of Johann Zarco for the LCR Team, who is looking at a lengthy stint on the sidelines following his crash last time out in Barcelona. The Frenchman is expected to undergo surgery on his knee sometime next month.
During Crutchlow’s Thursday afternoon media duties at the Mugello Circuit, he was asked to recount how his replacement ride came about. In doing so, he also revealed how his decision to revisit the premier class paddock took some convincing.
- READ MORE: Who is Cal Crutchlow? Everything to know about Johann Zarco’s replacement for the Italian Grand Prix
Cal Crutchlow reveals why he changed his mind on LCR replacement ride
He began by detailing how LCR chief Lucio Cecchinello had made contact with him following confirmation that Zarco would be missing multiple rounds of the 2026 season after a horrific crash in Barcelona.
“I got home, and Lucy said to me, ‘Lucio’s called you.’” he recalled via Motosan. “Lots of people from the team had texted me, and I finally spoke to them. They told me they wanted me to come back to race.”
However, the three-time Grand Prix winner highlighted how, at first, he wasn’t interested in returning to the premier class paddock after having cut ties with Yamaha as their test rider last year.
He added, “When I got home, Lucy asked me again if they’d called, but I didn’t even bring it up. Then she said, ‘Yes, because they called me first to ask for permission.’
“I replied, ‘I’m not interested.’ She asked me why, because this has always been my life, and she didn’t understand why I didn’t want to do it. It took me a while to think about it.
“On Tuesday, I spoke to them again, and we started looking into whether it was possible to do some laps before coming here, because it wouldn’t make sense to arrive after such a long time without riding and go straight out in FP1 at 360 km/h at turn one.
“Luckily, we managed to organise a test over the last few days, and yesterday I was able to do a few laps. Today I feel as if I’ve been hit by a bus, but in the end I agreed to do it.”
Crutchlow was then asked why he changed his mind in the end, to which he responded, “I thought I’d become calmer and less crazy… and I realised that wasn’t the case. Besides, my wife told me to do it.
“She’s been by my side throughout my career, and we always make decisions together. She said to me: ‘Our life has always been an adventure, why should we stop now?’ So I replied: ‘OK, I’ll go.’”
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