CRUTCHLOW RETURNS TO SILVERSTONE AS ZARCO’S REPLACEMENT
5 Aug·
Cal Crutchlow will return to MotoGP action at Silverstone, stepping in again for the injured LCR Honda rider Johann Zarco. The 40-year-old will be back in front of his home crowd, with the British Grand Prix set to feature a local favourite on the grid for the first time in a while.
Crutchlow’s relationship with Silverstone is well established. He last appeared at a British GP in 2021, when he filled in for the injured Franco Morbidelli in the Yamaha factory team. His most recent previous “regular” appearance at the circuit came in 2019, when he rode for LCR Honda and finished sixth. The standout weekend in his Silverstone history arrived in 2016, when he took pole position and went on to claim second place in the race.
Looking back on those memories, Crutchlow highlighted 2016 as his personal peak. “My highlight was obviously 2016 when I had a great year,” he said. “2017 was a great year, but I was really disappointed not to be on the podium.” He also pointed to 2015 as a weekend that could have gone differently: “The one that really stands out was 2015: I really thought with the rain race, I was going so well in the rain that year that I thought I could win and then Jack [Miller] took me out!”
Across his British GP starts, Crutchlow has recorded five top-seven finishes: 2012 (6th), 2013 (7th), 2016 (2nd), 2017 (4th) and 2019 (6th).
Beyond results, Crutchlow believes Silverstone consistently produces close racing. “Silverstone is one of the greatest circuits in the world,” he said. “Its heritage is amazing. We’ve seen such special races in Silverstone.” He added: “Normally it’s a close race in Silverstone. I don’t know why, but fast circuits always seem to produce great racing.”
He also welcomed the prospect of new fans discovering MotoGP live. “What I always like to see at Silverstone is new people, people that have not seen MotoGP before, have never seen a race, or even that they don’t watch it on the TV, and they get to see this spectacle that we all love,” Crutchlow said. “When people get into the sport, they get addicted to watch it.” He reiterated his message to encourage attendance and viewing: “I would always encourage people to watch MotoGP, to attend MotoGP, because it is, in our opinion, the best sport in the world. To get people to come to Silverstone, watch, enjoy it, I think they will be thrilled to be there.”
Crutchlow’s Silverstone appearance will be his sixth race weekend of the 2026 season. He has also been present at Grands Prix in Mugello, Balaton Park, Brno, Assen and on the Sachsenring. However, in his previous outings this year, he has not scored points.
The new context around his fill-in role is that Crutchlow has been brought in by LCR Honda after Zarco’s crash at the preceding Catalan Grand Prix in May, and Zarco is currently planning to return in September. That would mean Crutchlow’s next possible replacement options would be either the San Marino or Austrian round, with Silverstone clearly one of the circuits he enjoys most.