MotoGP teams are the ones who wanted new weekend format, says Carlos Ezpeleta
· Yahoo Sports
MotoGP deputy CEO Carlos Ezpeleta stresses that the latest change to the weekend format, which will be introduced in 2027, stems from the teams’ own desire to make improvements, as a different type of executive profile begins to emerge within the championship
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The Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) confirmed on Wednesday another change to the MotoGP grand prix weekend format. As Motorsport.com revealed during the Austrian Grand Prix, the race schedule will undergo a substantial change from next season, with the introduction of a qualifying session specifically for the sprint race.
Since sprint races were introduced in 2023, and until the end of this season, the grids for both the sprint and the main race have been determined by the same qualifying session, held on Saturday morning.
From 2027, there will be a separate sprint qualifying session on Friday afternoon, following two free practice sessions in the morning: a first 45-minute session (FP1), and a second 30-minute session (FP2). The new sprint qualifying session will last 15 minutes and will feature all riders on the grid. The change will add a little more pressure to Friday, which will gain one practice session compared with the current format. Saturday will remain exactly as it is now, apart from a change in the naming of the morning practice session, while Sunday will lose the warm-up.
Since the news first emerged in Spielberg, riders have reacted with a mixture of scepticism and opposition to the new scenario, which several of them believe will expose them to even greater risk while leaving them with less time to breathe. In this regard, championship promoter MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group stresses that the initial proposal behind this latest restructuring came from the teams themselves, rather than from the organisation.
“This change is an initiative that came from the teams. They were the ones who came to us and said they believed it could be improved,” Carlos Ezpeleta, the championship’s deputy CEO, tells Motorsport.com. “We believe that with this adjustment, the sporting structure of the weekend is improved and the spectacle is enhanced even further,” the executive adds.
Carlos Ezpeleta, Dorna Sports Deputy CEO
Carlos Ezpeleta, Dorna Sports Deputy CEOAccording to Ezpeleta, the revamped weekend format delivers something the manufacturers were looking for ahead of next season, when the new-generation 850cc engines will be introduced.
“Overall, track time will be reduced [by 35 minutes, including the removal of the warm-up], which is something the manufacturers wanted in order to reduce the mileage accumulated by certain components. We will also start a little later on Friday, which is something they were looking for,” explains the Spaniard, who sees this latest transformation as another step in the direction he believes the championship should be heading in.
According to Ezpeleta, that direction is particularly clear to the team bosses who have arrived more recently. One of them is Guenther Steiner, the figurehead of the group that acquired Tech 3 at the end of 2025, who for years ran the Haas Formula 1 operation.
“A new type of executive profile is coming in. They are very clear about the direction we need to take, and they have no doubts about it,” Ezpeleta concluded.
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