Cal Crutchlow says “nothing has been discussed” between himself and Honda regarding a move to the factory team in 2019, and says Dani Pedrosa should be given more “respect” amid current speculation.
Rumours surrounding Pedrosa's future with Honda have been circling since the Qatar round, with current Tech3 rider Johann Zarco and Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso linked with the Spaniard's seat.
Crutchlow – who is contracted directly with HRC at LCR – has also been linked with a move, but denied this and says he is currently only focused on securing the best results for his team.
“I think first of all we have to give respect to the situation,” stated Crutchlow.
“It's Dani Pedrosa's job we're talking about, and all the people speculating and writing about this, I don't know how they'd feel about people talking about their job.
“But nothing has been discussed at all. In the end my team is LCR Honda, my job is to do a good job for them, and try and be as competitive and as fast as I can for them. We're here to race for us and our sponsors and for myself.
“I saw an artcile saying I was 'gunning for Pedrosa's seat', but in the end the only thing I'm doing is gunning to get a good result for my LCR Honda team.”
In Qatar, Crutchlow was asked about Zarco potentially joining Honda and admitted he felt the RC213V would not suit the Frenchman's style as much as the Yamaha – a point he reiterated on Thursday in Argentina.
“As I said, it's not even been mentioned, I've made no comment on it at all,” he added.
“The comment I made was in reference to Johann, was if he got the ride, I didn't think the bike would suit his style as much as the bike he is on now.
“But that's my opinion and I am completely entitled to that. So, as I said, I think we should respect the situation.
“Dani is a fantastic rider and is riding very well in this team for many years, and we continue to work as hard as we can and we'll see what happens.”
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