MotoGP riders divided on contentious 2027 weekend format change

MotoGP’s new weekend format for 2027 has divided the grid, with riders such as Francesco Bagnaia and Luca Marini believing the changes will help promote the championship, while Pedro Acosta and Alex Marquez feel they push the demands on riders too far.

The introduction of the new weekend format was the main topic of conversation among riders ahead of the Indonesian Grand Prix, a day after MotoGP announced a series of changes to the schedule that will come into effect next season.

The most significant change is the introduction of a dedicated qualifying session for the sprint race. Most riders agreed that the new format would increase their workload and stress, although there were significant differences in their views on the changes.

Bagnaia is one of the most influential voices in the paddock and one of the few riders who regularly attends the Safety Commission meetings on Fridays, where riders meet with MotoGP officials, including CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta and his son Carlos.

The Ducati rider again pointed to the low attendance at the meetings to explain his position on the new format.

“If instead of four, there had been 20 riders, we could have influenced the decision. But with so few, it is very difficult,” said Bagnaia, who was among the few riders to welcome the changes.

“I like it; I think it is good. I think it is an improvement, although what I don't like is that the Sunday warm-up disappears. It would be positive to keep it.”

The two-time world champion added that riders had long requested two qualifying sessions following the introduction of sprint races.

“We had always asked for two qualifying sessions. Two starts, not just one, so for me it is fine,” he said.

Bagnaia also pointed out that the four riders who attended the most recent Safety Commission meeting at Motegi had not objected when the changes were explained to them.

“The four of us who were there discussed the matter, everything was clear and we understood the reasons; we simply asked to add the warm-up.”

Acosta, meanwhile, offered a very different assessment of the changes and questioned whether riders had been given enough input into the decision.

“It doesn't matter what we think, we haven't been given a choice. They have imposed it on us like this, just because,” said the KTM rider.

“If you take the list of riders on the grid, try to find four who haven't been injured all year. There are few, very few who haven't had some kind of injury.

“I don't know if eliminating the warm-up when you've crashed on Saturday is a good idea; I don't know if putting 22 riders into the same 15-minute qualifying session is a good idea.

“We already have enough sessions in which we take a lot of risks, so as to add another one, and keep all the sprints. I think we should all relax a little about this issue, because the sporting careers of the riders are getting shorter and shorter.”

Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Acosta also attributed his absence from the Safety Commission meetings to the increasingly hectic schedule.

“I don't go because there is no time. We have more and more things and more and more stress, and I think we should go in the opposite direction; stop for a bit and think that the rider needs to calm down, because then from here” – he pointed to his head – “we're not doing very well.”

For Acosta, one solution would be to reduce the number of sprint races, with 11 scheduled for 2027, taking inspiration from Formula 1, which is also introducing two qualifying sessions at selected events.

“We could have half the sprints [11], because we all know at which circuits there is a show, and at which ones there isn't,” he said, referring to the quality of the Saturday action.

Alex Marquez was similarly critical of the process behind the changes, arguing that the teams had played a major role in their introduction.

“The decision has been made between the championship and the teams; the riders have had nothing to do with it. You accept it because that's what there is. But you introduce many more moments of risk during the weekend. They demand more and more from us. It is the new championship, and you either accept it or you leave,” said the Gresini rider.

“I don't love it, because in the end there are 22 races, 22 sprints and two qualifying sessions per weekend. We were already not in agreement with having to race so many races, and we always wanted to reduce the number of sprints by half, or less. But nothing is going to change, no matter how much we complain.”

Fabio Quartararo is also unhappy with some aspects of the new format. The Frenchman will switch from Yamaha to Honda next season and has yet to test either the new 850cc bikes or the Pirelli tyres that will be introduced in 2027.

“With new bikes and new tyres, adding extra minutes is not the best thing. If we want to copy F1, for example, we could see how many minutes they spend on track. They don't ride all the time, as we do now,” Quartararo said.

“If you add, let's say, 30 more minutes, we will take things more calmly. I think it would be good to have an hour, especially in FP2 [which will be 30 minutes].

“In any case, it will be the same for everyone, so for me it is not a problem to have one more qualifying session.”

Unlike Bagnaia, Quartararo said he was not particularly concerned about the removal of the Sunday warm-up.

“I don't care. Others do care.”

Marini was among the riders who attended the Safety Commission meeting at which Ezpeleta explained the new format, and he was more positive about the changes.

“It is a proposal from the teams to further improve the show and try to gain popularity. And I think that, in the end, it can be a positive change,” said the Honda rider.

“Having two qualifying sessions is something we had been asking for since the sprint race was introduced into the format. So it is quite interesting.

“I feel that we are doing things right so that MotoGP can grow a lot. I hope that the fans also enjoy it and understand that this motorsport is the best in the world.”