SPIELBERG, Austria —
MotoGP is to follow
Formula One’s lead and introduce Saturday sprints to race weekends next year,
the sport’s governing body FIM announced on Saturday, an initiative denounced
as “stupid” by world champion Fabio Quartararo.
اضافة اعلان
In contrast to F1, which is staging only three
sprints 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.
“It’s time to give (MotoGP) more exposure not only
on television but also to the fans,” FIM president Jorge Viegas told a press
conference at this weekend’s Austrian MotoGP in Spielberg.
“We need more fans, we need a better spectacle and
we are going to fill up Saturdays,” he added.
The new weekend sprint schedule has been tweaked,
with only two, longer, practice runs before the traditional two-part qualifying
session. Q2 comprises the 10 best combined practice times, plus the two
quickest riders from Q1.
The qualifying result will shape the grids for both
the sprint and the grand prix itself 24 hours later.
The idea has not received universal approval from
the pits however, with Quartararo leading the dissenters.
Quartararo’s skepticism was not shared by all
though, with
Enea Bastianini suggesting the new format “may be a good thing,
another reason to do things well”.
The Italian rider was speaking before going out to
claim pole for Sunday’s
Austrian Grand Prix.
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