There are four drivers in the Honda clan and it seems that there is no cohesion between them. There is Marc Márquez whose level of performance is such that he remains inaccessible to his three other colleagues. One of them, Jorge Lorenzo, is convalescing and replaced by test pilot Bradl. So out of debate. There remains the LCR team duo composed of Crutchlow and Nakagami. But there, the cloth is completely burning...
The time when Cal Crutchlow encouraged the beginner Nakagami to raise your level of play with indulgent comments to better preserve your morale is definitely a long way off. Between the English and the Japanese, relations have not only cooled: they have become downright frosty. The fault of a few games on the track and especially the Barcelona test where Nakagami drove the latest Honda. He achieved a good time with positive comments which were like a call to Honda to consider him at least as much as his elder in the box.
A situation that Crutchlow interpreted as a low maneuver. The Englishman indicated that he had initiated this opportunity for the Japanese to compare data. And that he had put on soft tires to set a time, which was not in the time table.
Before starting hostilities in Brno, Nakagami has expressed its demands for a Honda version 2020 next year, i.e. the same machine which is already promised to Crutchlow. The latter gave his opinion on the matter, and it hurts: “ no, I don't think he deserves it, I won't say anything good about him right now, because my relationship with him is not good ».
He nevertheless continues: “ he's had a fifth-place finish in MotoGP so far, but for a 2020 bike he should be fighting for the top six every weekend and getting on the podium every now and then. He failed to do so. He doesn't have the same machine as us, but I think he would be slower with ours. In Barcelona, during the test he fitted a soft tire which easily brings a seconde » estimates Crutchlow.
The three-time MotoGP winner also warns his teammate: “ he needs to understand how Honda works, and if he still refuses, he may not get a place in MotoGP next year. There are enough good riders in Moto2 and one of them even has a brother in our category " said Crutchlow on motorsport-magazin.com, on a possible rise ofAlex Marquez...
