Sprint races came to MotoGP this season and, unlike in Formula 1, they were held at every round. Something that Fabio Quartararo feels is unnecessary.
The Monster Energy Yamaha rider told the press when asked if the fact that in the year the new format was introduced hardly any races had the full original squad was a coincidence:
– It’s not a coincidence; it’s a big problem. I think it’s already a dangerous sport, but as a rider I can assure you that sometimes in the Sprint race you get much more tired than in the long race. Physically, the motorbike we’re using is more and more demanding. And I don’t think we need a Sprint race in every GP. Valencia is the last race of the season, you know it’s always full – why would you want to add another one on Saturday? I already think like Formula 1: they do the Sprints, they do a few. But we can’t do this any more. I’m not the one who organises everything, I don’t know what the other drivers think, but I don’t think it’s the right way to go.
In Quartararo’s view, the addition of a round to the 2024 calendar doesn’t change much: ‘Now 42 or 44 races won’t change anything, but it’s unfortunate that we do all these races and we can see: not all the drivers from the original squad were at the races. It’s unfortunate’.