MotoGP sprints

MOTOGP is to follow F1’s lead and introduce Saturday sprints to race weekends next year, the sport’s governing body FIM announced recently, an initiative denounced as “stupid” by world champion Fabio Quartararo. In contrast to F1, which is staging only three sprints in this campaign, MotoGP plans to hold one on the eve of every grand prix throughout 2023.

And in another marked difference, the sprint, half the normal race distance with half the points on offer, will not serve to shape the grid for the following day’s grand prix. With its arrival, a rider who wins the sprint and the race itself can collect 37 points – as opposed to the 25 on offer at the moment. | AFP