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Fabio Quartararo believes MotoGP should align with Formula 1 in the number of sprint races held, especially as plans emerge for dedicated qualifying sessions for the half-distance events.
MotoGP is expected to introduce a new race weekend format from 2027, which will feature two qualifying sessions per round, likely at the expense of practice time. Currently, riders start both the sprint and Sunday's main race from the same grid positions. The proposed change would see separate qualifying sessions determine the starting grids for each race.
This plan would bring MotoGP closer to Formula 1, where separate qualifying sessions are held for both the sprint and the main race during all sprint weekends. However, the 2021 World Champion, Quartararo, argues that MotoGP should also mirror Formula 1 in the total number of sprint events it stages each season.
“No. My opinion on the sprint is that if they want to be like F1, we should have the same number of sprint races as F1. In my opinion, that’s what we should do,” the Yamaha rider responded when asked if he liked the proposed new format. “I’m happy with 10. I’m even happy with 12,” he added when informed that Formula 1 would have 10 sprints in 2027. “It’s really intense. The amount of stress and everything we experience during the starts… From a safety perspective, we know the start is the most dangerous part. So, yes, if they want to do qualifying for the sprint, I think we should copy Formula 1 exactly,” Quartararo further commented. “They introduced sprints without really asking us, so I don’t think they will. Now we have sprints, and they certainly won’t remove them. We are here to race. If they tell us to do 22 sprints, we will do 22 sprints. If they tell us to do 12, we will do 12. But we don’t decide what we should do,” the French rider concluded, lamenting that MotoGP bosses make decisions without consulting the riders.
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