MotoGP | Here is the definitive format for the 2023 season

The 2022 Aragon Grand Prix was the scene of the meeting of the Grand Prix Commission, the highest body of the world championship, which definitively approved the Sprint Races and, with them, a new format for the weekend, in which MotoGP acquires even greater weight.

2023 weekend format: Sprint Race and all sessions

Starting from 2023 and unlike what has been up to now, the tests, qualifying and races of the premier class will always be at the end, after Moto3 and Moto2, with changes in the practice times, which are reduced to make room for new initiatives that aim to bring motorcycling stars closer to the fans.

MotoGP free practice, which until now was nicknamed “FP” (from “Free pratice”, free practice, ed.) becomes only “P” (“practice”, test): on Friday there will be a P1 and a P2, which in the case of MotoGP will last 45 and 60 minutes respectively. The combined times of P1 and P2 will determine the ten participants who will have direct access to Q2.

MotoGP will have a 30-minute free practice session on Saturday morning, termed ‘FP’ (free practice), which could be the equivalent of what had been FP4 on Saturday. Qualifying will start with Q1 at 10:50, while Q2 will start at 11:15. In all the season’s grands prix, the Sprint Race will take place on Saturday and will start at 15:00.

Although in the initial proposal it had disappeared, at the request of the drivers in the Grand Prix Commission, the warm-up will be held on Sunday morning only for the premier class, which however will be reduced from 20 to 10 minutes.

How will the 2023 MotoGP Sprint Races be like and how long will they last?

MotoGP is introducing an important new feature in 2023, the so-called Sprint Races, which will cover around 50% of the race distance of the grand prix held on Sunday. In the event that the half distance of a grand prix is ​​odd, the number of laps of the Sprint Races will be reduced by default. Since there will be Sprint Races throughout the 2023 season, the first quick MotoGP race will take place at the first round, the Portuguese GP.

Jack Miller, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

How many points are awarded in the MotoGP Sprint Race?

The top nine riders in the Sprint Race score points for the world championship. This is the scoring system.

• 1st postion (winner):12 points
• 2nd position:9 points
• 3rd position:7 points
• 4th position:6 points
• 5th position:5 points
• 6th position:4 points
• 7th position:3 points
• 8th position:2 points
• 9th position:1 point

The division of points for the Sunday race remains unchanged, the first 15 drivers get points: 25 points for the winner, 20 for the second, 16 for the third, 13 for the fourth and so on up to the 15th (11, 10, 9, 8 , 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1).

Format and rules of the 2023 MotoGP Sprint Races

There will be a 15 minute grid process with the same rules as the long race when it rains, flag-to-flag races and quick restarts. If a Sprint Race is interrupted, the quick deployment process will apply. The restarts will be to complete the original race distance of at least one lap, with a minimum distance of 5 laps. Once the ¾ of the race has been completed, if it stops it will not restart.

For Sprint Races, fuel use is limited to around 12 liters (22 on Sunday). According to what was stated by the sporting director of the world championship, Carlos Ezpeleta, the teams will be able to design a smaller tank that can also be used during practice and in qualifying.

As for the penalties that are assigned in practice and qualifying, they apply to both the Sprint Race grid and that of Sunday.

In the Sprint Races, the same infraction protocol of the MotoE track limits is followed, the category that has the shortest race. In this way, after the first infraction the driver is warned and after the third he is penalized with a Long Lap Penalty.

Drivers who start early (Jump Start), will have to serve a double Long Lap Penalty, as in long races.

Penalties imposed for an incident in any session will normally apply to the grand prix race. For example, a Long Lap Penalty imposed for irresponsible driving in Stage 1 will be served on Sunday.

How do you decide the grid for the MotoGP Sprint Races?

The starting grid for both MotoGP races is established in qualifying, in Q1 and Q2. However, if a driver incurs a penalty for irresponsible driving or similar, this grid penalty will only be served on Sunday.

Fabio Quartararo, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Moto2 and Moto3 with reduced sessions for the 2023 season

As for Moto2 and Moto3, they will have three practice sessions each, followed by Q1-Q2 qualifying. Moto3 trials 1 and 2 will last 35 minutes, five less than the current ones. Moto2 practice 1 and 2 will continue to last 40 minutes. These sessions will take place on Friday and will determine direct access to Q2.

For both Moto2 and Moto3, the third practice session will be held on Saturday morning and will last 30 minutes. This session will be a free practice for each class and will not take into account the combined time classification to access Q2. There will be no warm-up for either Moto2 or Moto3.

Race distances for both classes will shorten after the Grand Prix Commission has decided that the approximate length of the races will be 36 minutes for Moto2 and 34 for Moto3.

Race weekend timetable 2023 (MotoGP, Moto2 y Moto3)

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