The sprint race will be one of the big novelties of a 2023 MotoGP season which will also adopt in its new format some provisions intended to bring the public closer to the drivers. There will also be one more Grand Prix, with Kazakhstan, but on this level, we are waiting for the publication of the official calendar which is long overdue... But do a race on Saturday at 15:00 p.m. over half the distance of the Grand Prix on Sunday with also half of the points to be taken is an acquired principle. As for the progress, it could still change admits Paolo Ciabatti, sporting director of Ducati. Besides, there has already been a change compared to the initial project…
In substance and form, the advent of sprint race which will enter the Grand Prix format in 2023 has caused a lot of ink and saliva to flow. It's a given, and we are now making adjustments to properly manage this new Saturday competition. On speedweek, Paolo ciabatti, sports director of Ducati reveals the final decisions inherent to its implementation, starting by recalling its necessity: “ maybe it was time to introduce something new in MotoGP », Declares the Italian.
« Of course, there were discussions before the publication of the new concept, also during the presentation of the project in Austria and all the details in Aragon. The format was discussed and details such as the duration of FP1. The sprint race is supposed to help attract more attention from fans, television and other media. It's good » he adds.
Paolo Ciabatti: “ we insisted that the warm-up continue on Sunday »
However… " But certain aspects had to be taken into account. For example, we wanted to ensure that factories could make ends meet with the same number of engines per season ", added Ciabatta. " We also had to ensure that mechanics could repair and check the second motorcycle if it crashed during the sprint race, for example ».
He reveals this adjustment thus: “ this is why we insisted that the warm-up continues on Sunday, even if it is only for 10 minutes instead of 20. We believe that ten minutes is enough to check the functionality of the bike on Sunday morning. There are also teams installing new engines for the Saturday evening race. So you have to make sure everything works. ". Then he finishes: “ mbut in general we are positive about the new format. Like all innovations, certain aspects will still need to be refined. We'll see that next year ».
