P1racenews AI automatic summary:
After a single wild-card entry in 2023, Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow says it is ‘likely’ he will make three MotoGP race appearances next season.
Cal Crutchlow, Yamaha’s test rider, revealed that Yamaha is currently sticking to the old maximum of three wild-cards despite the newly announced revised MotoGP concessions system allowing up to six wild-cards for Yamaha and Honda. He mentioned that there are still negotiations happening for one of the wild-cards because he doesn’t want to participate in it. Yamaha’s biggest issue, according to Crutchlow, is the lack of a satellite team, as every other MotoGP manufacturer has at least four bikes on the grid. Crutchlow believes that having more bikes on track and conducting more pre-season tests would benefit Yamaha’s performance in the upcoming season. At the Valencia test, Crutchlow finished 20th fastest, just behind Yamaha’s new signing Alex Rins, while Fabio Quartararo was the fastest Yamaha rider in twelfth place.
