Cal Crutchlow in the dark over 2017 Honda MotoGP test plans
Cal Crutchlow is not sure what Honda will have for him to sample when MotoGP pre-season testing starts at Sepang next week
The Briton won a pair of races with the LCR satellite squad in 2016, as factory rider Marc Marquez won his third title in four seasons.
Honda's RC213V remained a challenge to ride, though, particularly as the Japanese manufacturer struggled to pair its engine with the new-for-2016 control electronics.
Testing with its 2017 engine started late last year, the change headlined by a revised firing order to the 'big-bang' configuration from the 'screamer' sequence.
Following the winter testing ban, Malaysian Grand Prix venue Sepang will host the first of three pre-season tests from January 30, but Crutchlow is in the dark on what he will have to try.
"There's many things that I felt we could improve and they did quite a lot last year, if you compare where we were in the Malaysia test to where Marc ended up winning the championship," Crutchlow told Autosport.
"But I have to say, that's Marc.
"I believe that they know what they're doing. We have great knowledge in there, it's just putting it all together and building a bike that everybody can ride.
"I think they'll do that in the end, but whether it will be this year, I don't know.
"Sure, I know some sort of plan that they're doing, but we'll have to see what they bring to the Malaysia test.
"We know the Malaysia test is not going to be final, it will be more towards Qatar [venue of the final test and first race]."
Crutchlow felt Honda's 2016 bike was the toughest he has ridden in the premier class, and after testing upgrades at Valencia last November says he has stayed out of the process since.
"I've always had a really close relationship with the technical people in Honda," he added.
"But I've left them to it. I've given them the information, there's nothing more I could've done last year.
"They know the direction that I feel to go in, but I'm not the guy pulling the main strings.
"I think the other riders have a similar feeling, but we have differences in one way or another.
"I keep close contact with the engineering team of Honda, of course, but they're too busy.
"I've given them everything they needed and so did Marc and I think so did Dani [Pedrosa]."
Crutchlow was presented with the the Royal Automobile Club's Torrens Trophy in London on Tuesday.
The award, given out when the RAC feels a rider merits it rather than annually, is for those showing "outstanding skill in international motorcycling sporting events".
Jorge Lorenzo wants to end his MotoGP career as a Ducati legend
Casey Stoner gets first test of Ducati MotoGP 2017 bike
MotoGP Austrian GP: Miller tops wet-to-dry FP1 as new layout makes debut
Ducati’s Jack Miller topped a wet-to-dry first practice session for the MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix as the revised Red Bull Ring layout made its debut.
Quartararo: Yamaha “playing too far from the rules” against its MotoGP rivals
Fabio Quartararo believes the way Yamaha is operating relative to its MotoGP rivals in 2022 is “too far away from the rules” and sees parallels with Honda’s situation.
Bagnaia "lucky" to be back in MotoGP title hunt
Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia admits his recent back-to-back victories that have catapulted him back into MotoGP title contention were "lucky" because of problems for his main rivals.
Marc Marquez ‘won’t wait to be 100%’ fit to make MotoGP return
Marc Marquez says he will return to riding a MotoGP bike following his fourth major arm operation when he is “70, 80%” fit as “you can’t wait to be 100%.”
The signs Quartararo’s 2022 MotoGP title is slipping away from him
Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. But a crash at Assen and the consequential penalty he had to serve last weekend at Silverstone stopped him from capitalising on a main rival’s injury woes, while a resurgence from another, plus the rise of a former team-mate, look set to conspire against the Yamaha rider
Why Marquez’s toughest MotoGP foe is stopping at the right time
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso announced that he will be retiring from MotoGP after September’s San Marino GP. The timing of his departure raised eyebrows, but his reasoning remains sensible and what has happened this year should not diminish a hard-built legacy
Why a Suzuki refugee feels he deserves MotoGP's toughest challenge
Alex Rins’ MotoGP future was plunged into sudden doubt when Suzuki elected to quit the series at the end of 2022. Securing a deal with Honda to join LCR, he will now tread a path that many have fallen off from. But it was a move he felt his status deserved, and it’s a challenge – he tells Autosport - he faces with his eyes wide open…
How Formula 1 has driven MotoGP's changing nature
The hiring of technicians from Formula 1 has clearly contributed to a recent change in the MotoGP landscape, with the role of engineers gaining greater significance relative to the riders. Here's how this shift has come about
The revolution behind Aprilia's rise from MotoGP tail-ender to pack-leader
Coinciding with the arrival of Massimo Rivola as head of its MotoGP division, Aprilia has undergone an internal revolution that has spurred it from occupying last place in the team standings to leading the table in the space of just two years. Those entrenched in the project reveal how the ex-Ferrari F1 chief has achieved the dramatic turnaround
The battle Yamaha's wayward son is fighting to be fast again in MotoGP
Franco Morbidelli was long overdue a promotion to factory machinery when it finally came late last year, having finished runner-up in the 2020 standings on an old Yamaha package. But since then the Italian has been a shadow of his former self as he toils to adapt to the 2022 M1, and recognises that he needs to change his style to be quick on it
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. Key paddock figures explain why.
Who is Valentino Rossi’s newest MotoGP star?
Valentino Rossi’s protégés stole the show at Assen as Francesco Bagnaia stormed to victory to arrest a recent barren run. But it was the rider in second, on Bagnaia’s old bike, who had all eyes on him. Securing his and the VR46 team’s first MotoGP podium, Marco Bezzecchi has all the characteristics that made his mentor special