Pecco Bagnaia, the two-time MotoGP world champion who missed out on a third consecutive title this season, made an interesting proposal at Ducati's "Campioni in Festa" celebration: review the championship's points system in light of the introduction of Sprint races.
During the “Campioni in Festa” event organized by Ducati in Bologna, Pecco Bagnaia spoke about the MotoGP scoring system, which has been in place since 1993, long before its birth. However, with the introduction of races Sprint In 2023, the double world champion believes that this system could benefit from some adjustments to better reward the overall performance of the drivers.
« It's a rating system that has been around forever, since before the arrival of Sprint racing, which has greatly changed the way points are earned during a race weekend. ", Bagnaia said, quoted by GPone.com.
He added : " with the introduction of this Sprint race, I think we should consider the idea of incorporating bonuses for those who win both races per weekend, or maybe the fastest lap… something to reward those who are faster »
MotoGP currently uses a system where a Grand Prix win earns 25 points, and Sprint races now add up to 12 additional points each weekend. This change has significantly altered the dynamics of race weekends and the allocation of points.
Pecco Bagnaia launches call to reward the most successful drivers
bagnaia, who finished second in the 2024 championship behind George Martin with a ten-point gap, recognizes that the latter has been able to maximize his results in the Sprint races. Martin, team driver Pramac, dominated these Saturday races, even if bagnaia was the second best performer and tied Martin with seven Sprint victories. On the other hand, bagnaia has won 11 main races against only three for Martin.
« MotoGP has always been a championship which rewards regularity, and the grading system in place today also allowed me to fight despite eight zeros " he admitted, referring to his five non-scores in Sprint and three in Grand Prix. However, he suggests that the system could be adjusted to better reward exceptional performances across the weekend.
bagnaia proposes ideas such as than a bonus for a double which would reward drivers who win both the Sprint race and the Sunday Grand Prix. He is also considering rewards for the fastest lap, or introduce additional points to encourage drivers to push their limits even further.
Pecco Bagnaia stresses, however, that the current system remains balanced, since it has allowed him to remain in the title race despite his eight non-scores. On the other hand, by only taking into account the results of the Sunday Grands Prix, bagnaia would have far surpassed Martin with 370 points against 337.
« However, in my opinion, the Sprint has an influence on several fronts, not just on the spectacle, so perhaps it should consider something more He concluded.
With the evolution of MotoGP and the impact of Sprint racing, the call of bagnaia to adjust the points system could spark discussions in the paddock before the start of the 2025 season.
