MotoGP will hold sprint races for the first time in 2023. We analyze who could benefit from the new mode and who could suffer. Give us your feedback too, place your bets on 22Bet, support your favorites
MotoGP will hold 21 Grand Prix weekends in 2023, but 42 races in total. This is because, in addition to the main races on Sunday, half-distance sprints will also be held on Saturday for the first time this season. The new mode represents one of the most serious rule changes in the history of the motorcycle world championship. We look at how it could affect the balance of power.
The possible winners
Bologna power: The fact that Ducati provides the most powerful engine has become something of a natural constant in MotoGP. However, the V4 of the Desmosedici cannot show its full power of around 300 hp over a full race distance, as this would make it impossible to get by on the maximum permitted 22 liters of fuel. The potential of the machine from Bologna is therefore enormous when it is let loose. And that should be at least approximately possible in the sprint. Because, as mentioned at the beginning, the race distance in the sprint is 50 percent of the main race, but 55 percent of the fuel volume is permitted – 12 instead of 22 liters. Proportionally, therefore, more fuel can be burned and that should play into the cards of the powerful machines.
Pole kings: Good starting positions have become increasingly important in MotoGP in recent years, as the performance differences between the individual machines have become smaller and overtaking maneuvers in the race have become increasingly difficult for a variety of reasons. Good qualifiers, therefore, have a considerable advantage in the race. And this is even more true in the sprint, which is only half as long. This could play into the hands of qualifying specialists like Jorge Martin. The Spaniard took five pole positions last year but failed to win a single one. It should be much easier for him to convert his good grid positions into tangible results in the musicalnepal sprint.
Tire killer: A Grand Prix is only very rarely a pure pursuit of speed from start to finish. Most of the time, the driver who finds the best middle ground between speed and tire management ends up on top. A compromise that is more difficult for some drivers than others. Whether it’s due to an aggressive riding style, as in the case of Jack Miller, or naturally higher body weight, as in the case of the tall Luca Marini. They are riders who repeatedly run into problems in the final laps or, to avoid precisely that, have to behave extremely conservatively in the starting phase. That shouldn’t be necessary in sprinting, and so Luca Marini, for example, could deliver his first real highlights in the premier class on MotoGP Saturdays in 2023.
