MotoGP to introduce sprint qualifying amid 2027 format changes

MotoGP shakes up weekend format again by adding a separate qualifying session for sprint races

MotoGP officially confirmed on Wednesday the introduction of a new weekend format, first revealed by Autosport during the Austrian Grand Prix, which will come into effect next year and feature a dedicated qualifying session for the sprint race.

The change was approved by the teams in a vote held, appropriately enough, at the Red Bull Ring. It was at this very venue that plans for MotoGP to introduce Formula 1-style sprint races first emerged in 2022.

The new format will lead to a substantial reshuffling of the weekend schedule, although it will be far less disruptive than the changes introduced in 2023, when MotoGP brought in sprint races, following the path that F1 had taken a few years earlier.

Three-and-a-half seasons later, teams, riders and fans will once again have to adapt to a slightly different dynamic. The most significant change will be the introduction of a second qualifying session.

Until now, the only qualifying session, held on Saturday, has determined the starting grids for both races: the sprint and the full-length grand prix. From next season, however, the sprint grid will be set by a 15-minute qualifying session on Friday afternoon, while the grid for the main race will be determined by qualifying on Saturday morning, immediately after FP3, which will last 20 minutes.

The reform will also eliminate Friday’s ‘Practice’ session, which until now has been used to establish the cut-off between riders who progress directly to Q2 and those forced to go through Q1.

Franco Morbidelli, VR46 Racing Team

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

As a result, the first day of track action on Friday will gain an additional session, with a 45-minute practice in the morning followed by another 30-minute free practice session and the 15-minute sprint qualifying. On Saturday, FP3 will run for 20 minutes before Q1, involving all riders, and Q2, featuring the 12 fastest.

Autosport understands that, initially, consideration was given to splitting Saturday qualifying into three sessions, along the lines of F1 with Q1, Q2 and Q3. That proposal was ultimately rejected in the Spielberg vote. The sprint race will take place on Saturday afternoon, as is currently the case.

Another change will be the removal of Sunday morning’s warm-up, allowing riders to take part in promotional activities and prepare for the weekend’s main event, which will take place in the afternoon. At the same time, the pitlane will open for 10 minutes, something that does not happen at present, allowing riders to complete several laps of the circuit by passing through the pitlane.