Moto2 graduate Lowes has come under increasing pressure to demonstrate he deserves his seat in recent weeks, despite having originally signed a two-year deal with Aprilia.

He recorded a best qualifying finish of the season last weekend in Assen, making it out of a wet Q1 session and qualifying 10th – 10 places better than his previous best grid position – but crashed out of the race while running 15th.

Aprilia racing manager Romano Albesiano has admitted that the team was in talks with possible replacements for Lowes, with Alvaro Bautista and Danilo Petrucci both admitting discussions had taken place.

But, when asked about Lowes’ situation by Motorsport.com, Crutchlow said he felt his compatriot hadn’t been given enough to chance to show his potential – and that comparing his situation to his fellow rookies would be wrong.

“[Lowes] hasn’t had a fair crack of the whip,” said Crutchlow. “He’s sat in the garage more times than he’s been out on the track most of this year, not through his fault.

“He’s had mechanical issues, and he’s not been able to prove himself.

“I understand where Aprilia are coming from as well, but if they’re looking at [Johann] Zarco or [Alex] Rins, they’re looking at the wrong situation.

“The [Yamaha] that Zarco’s on, you have no idea how easy that thing is to ride. If you put him on the Aprilia or the Honda, he would not be anywhere near where he is right now.

“He’s a good rider, don’t get me wrong, but you can’t look at that and compare.”

Crutchlow likened Lowes’ situation to his own as a MotoGP rookie in 2011, when he made the switch from World Superbikes to join the Tech 3 Yamaha team, and believes the Aprilia rider is making the same errors as he did then.

“I think Sam will get a lot better, he just needs time,” added Crutchlow. “What he’s doing with the bike is not completely wrong, but it’s wrong.

“It’s exactly how I rode when I came here, and look where I finished, I was s**t as well. I had arguments with Herve [Poncharal, Tech 3 boss] the first year that I came.

“I was the one who wanted to leave and go back to World Superbikes, Herve was the one who told me I just need time, to stay, and try and calm me down.

“The next year, I went straight and got two podiums and was fourth at the first race. It’s just the way it is. You need to take the experience and take the time and improve, but they need to give him the time.”

"Why don't they put pressure on Aleix?"

Crutchlow also believes that Aprilia should be pressuring Espargaro to get better results, as he feels that the RS-GP would be a podium contender in the hands of a top rider like Marc Marquez.

“If you put Marc on that bike, he would put it on the podium,” said Crutchlow. “Why don’t they put the pressure on Aleix?

“I know Aleix has been the first guy to back Sam up, and I’m not criticising him, I’m criticising them. They’re both good riders and I think they both deserve to be at the team.”