MotoGP | Yamaha tile: Crutchlow knocked out due to injury, no Mugello

It certainly cannot be said that Yamaha is experiencing its best moment: in difficulty compared to the competition, it is struggling to find a satellite team for next year and now a new tile is also arriving. Cal Crutchlow will not be able to take part in the Italian Grand Prix, scheduled for the first weekend of June.

Less than a month ago, the Iwata manufacturer announced that the British tester would compete in three of the wild cards that it can exploit thanks to the concessions it enjoys. Crutchlow was supposed to participate in the Mugello race, Silverstone and Misano. However, a physical problem prevents him from taking to the track for the first of the three scheduled races.

This was communicated by the team itself, which made the test rider’s withdrawal official through a post on social channels: “Yamaha is sorry to announce that Cal Crutchlow will not take part in the Italian GP as a wild card. This year, the official Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP test rider suffered from pain in his right hand and underwent an operation to resolve the problem. However, some complications prevent him from competing in the Italian GP.”

The 38-year-old became a Yamaha tester in 2020 replacing then-chosen Jorge Lorenzo. However, Cal returned to racing with some consistency between 2021 and 2022 to replace the starting drivers amid injuries and farewells, competing in a total of ten races. Cal Crutchlow’s last race in MotoGP as a wild card dates back to last year’s Japanese Grand Prix.

The presence of the English rider in the race is fundamental to continue to direct development and this was one of the weapons used by Yamaha to convince Fabio Quartararo to renew. However, it seems that the wind is not too in favor of the Japanese company, which despite trying in every way to return to the top, finds obstacles in its path.

Thus, the starting drivers will only be able to count on their strengths at Mugello. On the Tuscan track, Quartararo and Alex Rins carried out two days of private testing last week. But the presence of Cal Crutchlow during the race weekend would undoubtedly have been of great help, with the test team led by Silvano Galbusera working hard to contribute to the development of the M1.