'New grid layout makes starts safer,' say MotoGP riders after Sachsenring rollout

The latest safety tweak has done its job, say the riders - though it didn't help the show

MotoGP riders have said that the new grid layout introduced at today's Sachsenring sprint race has done what it was intended to do: reduce the risk of accidents.

The first start under the new rules was remarkably tidy, although undramatic in equal measure. With more space between the grid slots and rows, differences between starting positions and the running order on the first lap were minimal.

The monotonous race that ensued can in some part be attributed to the lack of opportunity at the start, but it can be argued that the tight nature of the Sachsenring track exaggerated the effect of the new grid set-up.

Either way, riders were able to keep things in perspective in their comments, remembering that the change was brought in purely for safety reasons. The adjustment to the grid comes in the wake of recent startline incidents in Barcelona and at Balaton Park.

"It is better for the safety, probably, [but] it's worse for overtaking," said Tech3 KTM rider Enea Bastianini. "It was difficult to overtake [any] riders.

"But checking what's happened in the past, it's better to be much safer."

Race start

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images

KTM's factory rider Brad Binder, known for aggressive starts to races, joked that the change didn't suit him - but still gave it his blessing.

"It's terrible for me because I can't pass as many people!" said the South African. "Even if you get a good start, you get [past] a row, you don't get two. For safety it's the right idea, for sure. For the show, let's see."

The 2024 world champion Jorge Martin was largely unmoved by the change, but agreed that the signs were good in terms of the safety aspect.

"Honestly, I didn't feel anything," he said. "I guess we have more space to think and to react if something happens, so this is good. Yeah, nothing happened in the first corner, so maybe it's a good thing."

Binder's team-mate Pedro Acosta was unequivocal in his support for the new grid.

"Definitely it's the first thing that we've done about safety that is [actually] safer," he said. "You arrive to the first corner and you have only one guy by your side, or maybe two, but not five around. I think [it is] a good start."

Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont