During the last British Grand Prix, MotoGP confirmed the dates of the British event for the 2025 season, setting it for the weekend of May 23-25: a bold move for the calendar, especially given the climate in the Silverstone area at that time of year, but one that organisers hope will help them win back the grandstand fans they have lost in recent years. This year’s British race on Sunday was watched live by 42,529 people, well beyond any reasonable expectations.
A similar story unfolded this weekend in Austria, where 67,271 fans gathered at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday, less than the average in recent seasons. Despite this, the grand prix organizers announced on Monday that they had reached an agreement with Dorna to hold the 2025 Austrian GP on the weekend of August 15-17, officially making it the second published date of the upcoming season.
It’s unofficial, but French Grand Prix organizer Claude Michy recently confirmed on French television that the 2025 Le Mans race will be held on May 11, just two weeks before the British Grand Prix. The French Grand Prix has no attendance problems, is the most-watched race among fans and is a resounding success year after year.
Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Marc Fleury
Thailand, first stop on the 2025 calendar?
Although it is still just rumours and speculation at the moment, Ramadan 2025, which begins in late February and lasts several weeks, could prevent the Qatar GP from being the usual opening race of the 2025 season. In the absence of confirmation, Dorna is working on various scenarios to begin coordinating a calendar that it intends to make public, if all goes to plan, between the two Misano races, which will take place on 8 and 22 September.
The first alternative considered by the championship promoter is to start the season in Thailand, where the second of two pre-season tests would also take place. The first would be in Sepang, as usual, in early February. It was discussed on Friday at the Red Bull Ring, where the IRTA held a meeting in which no concrete date was set. “At the moment it is just speculation and rumours, we are still working on the dates of the pre-season tests,” a member of the teams’ association told Motorsport.com.
The other new development is that the Indonesian GP will be the second race of the season, which would start with a triple date, and depending on the closure of Ramadan, Qatar would be the third date on the 2025 calendar, all under study and awaiting confirmation. The fourth race of the season is currently scheduled for the Americas GP in Austin, before the World Championship returns to Europe for the Spanish GP in Jerez.
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