Ducati’s Cal Crutchlow has backed his bosses’ decision to switch from the Factory to Open class in MotoGP and says it is vital for the team to be able to carry out engine development work.

The Briton believes that if his team take the first few races calmly and gather data, they could turn a corner in the middle of the year and start to look at podium finishes.

“Every test we went to, we seemed to get faster. We are excited and looking forward to it. Going into the middle of the year hopefully will be a turning point. At the start, we have to take things calmly, get the races and information under our belt,” said Crutchlow.

“Ducati and Gigi took a fantastic decision with this, it’s very crucial for Ducati to be able to develop the bike. Not being limited on engines is a big plus for us and we can improve in that area.”