News that will make noise in the paddocks.
The MotoGP world championship will launch in 2023 a sprint racing format during Grand Prix weekends, an idea which is reminiscent of what is done in Formula 1 but which does not convince the whole paddock. .
"It's time to give (MotoGP) more exposure on TV but also to the spectators - we need more spectators, - we need a better show and we have to fill the Saturdays", explained this Saturday Jorge Viegas, the president of the International Federation (FIM), during a joint press conference with the Dorna, the promoter of the championship and the IRTA (International Road-Racing Teams Association), which represents the teams engaged in MotoGP .
Concretely, the sprint race will take place on Saturday afternoon during each race weekend and will represent the equivalent in distance of half of the Grand Prix disputed on Sunday.
These sprints will also award championship points - half of the points awarded in the main race on Sunday.
The proposed format is reminiscent of the one adopted since last year in Formula 1, except that F1 does not systematically offer a sprint.
In 2022, only three GPs hosted sprint races, with success not necessarily obvious.
The stakes are also different since, unlike F1, the MotoGP sprint race will not serve as qualifying.
These will be maintained in the current format and will determine the starting grid for both the sprint race and the main race the following day.
If the organization of the race weekends has yet to be finalized with the arrival of this format, according to the specialized press, at least one of the two practice sessions on Saturday and the warm up of the Sunday could disappear.
The Moto2 and Moto3 championships, which are contested on the same weekends as the MotoGP races, will not be affected by the sprint races.
Sprint races in #MotoGP?
"Totally stupid" according to Fabio Quartararo, who specifies that the pilots were not consulted đĄhttps://t.co/zEcSm6nfog
â Motorsport France (@Motorsport_FR) August 19, 2022
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 mixed or completely refractory reactions, starting with that of the reigning world champion, the Frenchman Fabio Quartararo.
âI think it's totally stupid,â complained the Niçois on Friday.
"Doing one from time to time like in Formula 1, it can be interesting but every Saturday... There are circuits where you physically work hard," he continued.
He also denounces, like many pilots, the fact of "doing this without having asked (their) opinion".
It was during a meeting of the Security Commission on Friday evening that everyone was informed of the change.
âWe have informed as much as possible that there will be some changes, (as well as) on the spirit of the sprint raceâ, defended HervĂ© Poncharal, president of the IRTA, on Saturday.
If several pilots share the opinion of the French, like the Italian Fabio Di Giannantonio, for others, like Enea Bastianini, the format "can be a good thing, one more reason to do things well", judges the Italian.
