In the debate on the next sprint race which will change the format of the Grands Prix from 2023, in particular to make Saturday a greater popular and media celebration, the question of form dominated that of substance. By this I mean that Fabio Quartararo, Pecco Bagnaia, Aleix Espargaró and certain others declared themselves astonished, to put it mildly, at not having been consulted on this project, discovering to their great surprise its existence and its validation. A situation which led the boss of Dorna, Carmelo Ezpeleta, to make a clarification which raises questions about the good faith of the plaintiffs, or their real interest in what is happening in MotoGP outside their box.
When Dorna press conference, with his boss accompanied by the highest representative of the association of IRTA teams which is Hervé Poncharal and also the President of the FIM Jorge Viegas, we understood that you can put forward any argument to Carmelo Ezpeleta, but certainly not the one that wants the pilots to never know anything.
So, when word arrived that certain drivers, opposed to the sprint race, regretted never having been consulted, discovering the affair to their great dismay, Carmelo Ezpeleta put the kibosh on it: “ we spoke to the factories and the teams at Silverstone. They were all in favor of the idea, none of them were against the proposal ". And he adds, to make himself clear: “ drivers must be informed by their teams and factories. Some were informed, others were not ". He even drives home the point with this mention: “ Friday, during the Safety Commission, I informed some of the drivers who didn't know it yet, but the people who should inform them of the changes in the championship are the teams ».
Carmelo Ezpeleta: “I informed some of the pilots who didn't know yet"
To say you were surprised would therefore be in bad faith. When we put forward this argument of “ I informed some of the pilots who didn't know yet ", we do not understand the frightened position of certain pilots. But perhaps the answer lies in the following: “ I think there is no other championship in which the drivers receive as much information as this one, they are very connected to the championship. Honestly, on Friday I was hoping they would confirm something they had already been informed about by their teams. Some of the teams had informed them, others had not ". But he insists: “ never in any other sport do the protagonists have the main role that they have in MotoGP ».
This clarification made, the door of Carmelo Ezpeleta remains open for latecomers… “ There is controversy and some are for and others are against. All opinions are interesting. I think it's normal. We have made a lot of changes since the start of the championship, and they have always been controversial. Actually, I would be surprised if a change does not create controversy, I hope we can reach a consensus ". And he concludes: “ Often, pilots think to themselves. I see very different positions between the riders depending on whether they are riding one motorcycle or another.. All opinions count, but it's up to us to see who says what and understand why are they saying that ». Carmelo Ezpeleta is not fooled.
