CRUTCHLOW HAILS HIS FASTEST SILVERSTONE LAP AFTER FRIDAY PRACTICE STINT

Cal Crutchlow made an encouraging start to his 2026 British MotoGP weekend at Silverstone, using a “bit of magic” to post his fastest lap around the circuit and sit as high as 14th during Friday practice. The 40-year-old LCR Honda rider, standing in for the injured Johann Zarco, was eventually pushed back to 20th as the session progressed, but his 1m 58.190s still left him ahead of Pol Espargaro, Toprak Razgatlioglu and Augusto Fernandez.

Crutchlow admitted he was still adjusting after time away from racing, describing how he felt “like a passenger” early on. He pointed to being “nearly a month off” and said he was dealing with arm pump, adding that the more he rode across the weekend, the situation would either improve or worsen. Even with those limitations, he said he managed to find something special on track: “Tried to keep a little bit of magic, again. Fastest I’ve ever been around Silverstone, so I can’t ask for anything else.”

Reflecting on the circuit, Crutchlow said Silverstone’s pace surprised him on Friday morning, noting that the track “never used to be this fast.” He highlighted the challenge of the “fast changes of directions,” explaining that missing one of them can cost time across multiple subsequent sections. Overall, he felt “okay,” and if he could leave the day satisfied with his work, that would be enough: “If I get off and I'm happy that I've done a good job, and today I am, then that's all I can say.”

Crutchlow also addressed the unusually high speed levels seen across the field, with eight riders going under the old lap record. He questioned the standards being set, saying: “I'm asking the same question: why the f**k are they going so fast?” While he wished he had returned “a couple of years ago” to be closer to that pace, he insisted it wasn’t demoralising because he was “eight tenths from the top ten.” He credited the front runners for their performance and said that riding at that speed through Silverstone is “impressive.”

Looking ahead, Crutchlow said he expects to improve in specific areas rather than chase a miracle, and he hopes to be able to “battle a little bit again tomorrow and Sunday.” His LCR Honda teammate Diogo Moreira was also in the mix, finishing Friday’s running in 15th.