Fabio Quartararo wants MotoGP to reduce its sprint total if it adds a separate qualifying session for those races. Speaking to Crash.net, the Yamaha rider pointed to Formula 1 as the relevant example: adopting a similar sprint-qualifying arrangement should, in his view, also mean limiting how many sprint events take place across the championship.

MotoGP introduced the sprint format in 2023, several years after Formula 1 had first tested its own version. The two championships then took different routes. MotoGP placed a sprint on every round’s schedule, whereas Formula 1 uses them selectively; it is set to stage 10 in 2027. Quartararo said he would be satisfied with 10 in MotoGP, and even with 12, while describing the existing workload as extremely intense.

According to Crash.net, MotoGP is discussing the possibility of a separate sprint qualifying session, but no final decision or timetable is given. Formula 1 already runs dedicated qualifying sessions for its sprint events. Quartararo’s position is that MotoGP should not add another element to the weekend schedule without reconsidering the total number of sprints as well.

Safety is part of his reasoning. Quartararo connected the stress and intensity surrounding race starts with risk, describing the start as the most dangerous point of a race. His proposal is therefore not only about reducing the workload on paper; it is also about easing the pressure created by a demanding format and repeated starts.

Riders have limited influence

Quartararo also argued that riders have little power over the championship’s direction. He said they learned through the media that sprints would be introduced for 2023 and that, without a proper riders’ union, their influence remains limited. Their role, as he described it, is to compete under whatever structure is decided: 22 sprints or 12, and two qualifying sessions or even three.