The MotoGP world championship will launch a sprint racing format on Saturdays during Grand Prix weekends in 2023, the president of the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) announced on Saturday.
Greater exposure for MotoGP
«It’s time to give (MotoGP) more exposure on TV but also to spectators we need more spectators, we need a better show and we need to fill Saturdays“, explained Jorge Viegas, president of the FIM, during a joint press conference with Dorna, the promoter of the championship and the IRTA (International Road-Racing Teams Association), which represents the brands involved in MotoGP.
The sprint race will take place every Grand Prix Saturday. It will represent the equivalent in distance of half of the Grand Prix contested on Sunday and will offer drivers half of the points awarded on Sunday during the main race. Thus, each driver will be able to recover in the championship up to 37 points per weekend, against 25 currently. Although the organization of race weekends has yet to be finalized with the arrival of this format, according to the specialist press, at least one of the two test sessions on Saturday and the warm-up (the Warm up) of the Sunday could disappear.
I think that’s totally stupid.
fabio quartararo
The proposed format is reminiscent of the one adopted since last year in Formula 1, except that in F1, the presence of a sprint race is not systematic from one GP to another. In 2022, only three GPs have hosted sprint races. In addition, in MotoGP, the sprint race will have no qualifying value unlike F1. Qualifying will continue in the current format and will determine the starting grid for the main race the following day.
The announcement was made on the sidelines of the Austrian GP. Unexpected until the arrival of the paddock on Austrian soil, these future sprint races have aroused many reactions, starting with that of the reigning world champion Fabio Quartararo. “I think it’s totally stupid.” railed the Frenchman on Friday, denouncing the additional fatigue for the pilots and the fact “to do this without asking the opinions of the pilots».
