Sprint races are part of the program for each Grand Prix for the second season. And, at the Spanish GP last Saturday, there was a record number of retirements in the shorter races of the weekend.
In a Grand Prix where three wildcard riders competed, there were nine retirements in the Sprint race. There were many crashes, with the wet asphalt of Jerez proving to be a challenge. In fact, there could have been at least one more retirement: Marc Márquez (Gresini/Ducati) crashed while leading, but managed to recover and finished sixth.
Only 16 of the 25 starting riders made it to the finish. Despite the record number of retirements, it was not the Sprint race with the fewest riders at the end: that was at the Indian GP last year, with 15 riders crossing the finish line.
Previously, the maximum number of retirements in a Sprint race had been six, also at the Indian round in 2023. In Portugal last year, there were five retirements and one absence due to injury from Pol Espargaró.
On the other hand, there were three Sprint races where all riders finished, all last year: British GP, Malaysian GP, and San Marino GP, where one rider was not qualified for the races.
Riders who finished and retirements in Sprint races
2023:
Portuguese GP: 16 (5 retirements and 1 absence due to injury)
Argentinian GP: 16 (2 retirements)
Americas GP: 20 (2 retirements)
Spanish GP: 19 (4 retirements)
French GP: 17 (4 retirements)
Italian GP: 21 (2 retirements)
German GP: 18 (2 retirements)
Dutch GP: 22 (1 retirement)
British GP: 22 (0 retirements)
Austrian GP: 17 (6 retirements)
Catalan GP: 21 (1 retirement)
San Marino GP: 23 (1 non-qualified)
Indian GP: 15 (6 retirements)
Japanese GP: 20 (1 retirement)
Indonesian GP: 19 (2 retirements)
Thai GP: 19 (2 retirements)
Malaysian GP: 23 (0 retirements)
Qatari GP: 20 (2 retirements)
Valencia GP: 20 (1 retirement)
2024:
Qatari GP: 21 (1 retirement)
Portuguese GP: 18 (4 retirements)
Americas GP: 17 (5 retirements)
Spanish GP: 16 (9 retirements)
