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Starting in 2023, the Grand Prix race format will include a new attraction: sprint races, or short distance tests, to be held on the Saturday afternoons of each Grand Prix. MotoGP will be the only category of the championship to hold this additional contest. It aims create more hype in the competition by adding an enticement to Saturday’s events.
The Grand Prix schedule has on occasions already included complementary Saturday races, such as the Red Bull Rookies and the Asian Talent Cup, and even MotoE races when the electric bike contest had a double test. This introduction of MotoGP sprint races aims to raise the day’s hype beyond the already-exciting qualifying sessions.
This will be one of the most significant changes to the competition’s format in its history. Grand Prix have always been settled with just one test, considering that the championship schedule included various classes. In this way, it differed from the SBK World Championship, which when it began back in 1988 had only one category, Superbike, hence there were two races.
Five races when the championship was created
When the championship was first organized in 1949, the Grand Prix races had five categories (125, 250, 350, 500, and sidecars), so no complementary races were necessary. Starting in 1962 a sixth class, the 50 cc, was added, and the organizer was required to include at least five of the six categories in its race schedule. This rule was relaxed a bit in the 70s and four classes was enough for the Grand Prix to be valid.
And the Grand Prix format has remained essentially the same since 1949. The only thing that has changed on the sports side, besides topics of technical regulations, which have evolved over time, has been the scoring system, which changed significantly until stabilizing in 1993 when the system we know today was adopted. So, the sprint races could be considered the most impactful change in the championship’s structure since its birth.
Not a completely new idea
Dorna quite successfully introduced sprint races in SBK in 2019. Theirs is called the Superpole Race, and it has been a huge draw for the championship. Last year, Formula 1 also incorporated a sprint, although the automobile competition doesn’t include them in every Grand Prix, just in a few specific races, making it different from the system MotoGP plans to adopt.
But in reality, the first motorsport to hold sprint races wasn’t in the two-wheel or even four-wheel categories but in the three-wheel. Is that why they say “Virtue lies in the middle”? Sidecars were the first to implement this format in the World Championship. In fact, between 2005 and 2010, they adopted the system of various races and ended up with three different formats: Match, Sprint, and Gold Race, but they always scored the same, and they could all appear in the same event or not.
But in reality, the first motorsport to hold sprint races wasn’t in the two-wheel or even four-wheel categories but in the three-wheel. Is that why they say “Virtue lies in the middle”? Sidecars were the first to implement this format in the World Championship. In fact, between 2005 and 2010, they adopted the system of various races and ended up with three different formats: Match, Sprint, and Gold Race, but they always scored the same, and they could all appear in the same event or not.
New strategies
The introduction of sprint races means a whole new way of looking at the weekend’s strategy, in all senses, because they will take time away from setting up the bikes. This is one of the main arguments from riders who have been critical of the new format. Others, on the other hand, are delighted because they prefer to have a race over a test session.
The Grand Prix scheduling will face some big changes. The FP1 and FP2 (free practice) sessions on Fridays will remain, but the second will last 60 minutes. The FP3 on Saturdays will disappear, with the combined times from FP1 and FP2 determining who goes on to the Q1 and Q2 qualifying sessions, which will be those that determine the grid for Sunday’s race, and whose format will not be modified. Before the qualifiers, there will be a free session similar to the current FP4 that will last 30 minutes. And on Saturday, at 3:00 p.m., the Sprint Race will take place.
This new system could change the dynamics of the championship. For example, we know all points are precious, but perhaps with the sprint race rewarding fewer points, some riders will take greater risks because if they make a mistake and don’t get a point, the loss is less than in a conventional race. On the other hand, we could look at it from a more conservative perspective: maybe it’s not worth taking any risk in the sprint race because an injury could jeopardize Sunday’s race. And that loss would be profound. There are a lot of ways of looking at it. But we can’t forget that the riders are, more than anything, super competitive, and they don’t tend to make calculations when they are lining up on the grid. If there’s a gap and a chance to move up, who’s gonna be thinking about Sunday?
What could change is the dynamic of the races. The tire dilemma will probably go away: the soft set that ensures maximum performance in less time will be chosen. Those who have not had the right pace but are fast can plan to attack from the start because they no longer have to worry about how the tires will turn out at the end of the race.
And then there’s the question of fuel. It’s not yet decided if it will be regulated or up to each team to determine how much gas to add. Currently, riders have to change their engine maps during the race to adapt its response to the amount of fuel they’re consuming or to the state of the tires. But if there are no regulations concerning this, these cryptic messages — map 2, map 3, etc. — between the rider and his team that secretly tell him that he’s using up too much gas and show up on the pit boards could also disappear.
At any rate, in the absence of the organization finishing to determine the regulations for this new race, the MotoGP Sprint Race will certainly add some hype to the competition and boost interest and excitement.