2021 MotoGP: Dixon gets Sepang Racing Team seat for Silverstone, Crutchlow to get Maverick’s ride

In a surprise announcement, Petronas Yamaha Sepang Racing Team (SRT) has Jake Dixon moving up from the Moto2 class to MotoGP for one race at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix. Scheduled to run on the weekend of August 27 to 29, Dixon will fill in for Franco Morbidelli, who is still recovering from knee surgery.

Morbidelli’s seat on the SRT YZR-M1 was initially filled by Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow, who raced in SRT colours for the Styrian and Austrian Grands Prix in Austria. Crutchlow heads over to the Monster Energy Yamaha Racing Team to take the place of Maverick Vinales whose contract with Yamaha was abruptly terminated.

Dixon, aged 25, will be racing in front of his home crowd and joined Petronas Sprinta Racing in 2020 to campaign in the Moto2 World Championship, finishing 18th at the end of the season. His 2021 record sees him placing mostly outside the top 10, his best being a seventh place finish in Qatar.

According to team principal Datuk Razlan Razali, this will be an opportunity for Dixon to explore his potential riding a Yamaha YZR-M1 on a circuit he knows well. Meanwhile, Dixon is treating this one-off ride as a chance to build experience, calling it the attainment of a lifelong goal.