Portugal MotoGP weekend has highlighted need for riders’ union

The first round of the 2023 MotoGP season has been an eventful one thus far, starting with Pol Espargaro’s horrendous accident on Friday in FP2 that left him with fractures to his jaw and back.

This raised numerous safety concerns from riders about the Algarve International Circuit, centring on the lack of an air fence at Turn 10 where he crashed (which has since been rectified) and the long-standing calls for the gravel traps to be changed.

Saturday in Portugal saw the inaugural sprint race, which drew a mixed reception from the field.

Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo felt the aggression levels made it “a jungle” and warned that a “big crash” was going to happen soon if nothing is done, though the likes of sprint winner Francesco Bagnaia and third-placed Marc Marquez didn’t agree.

All of this has once again raised the issue of a riders’ union being formed, with Alex Marquez saying it is now a necessity for MotoGP.

Currently, there is no bespoke union for riders like there is in Formula 1 with the Grand Prix Drivers Association.

All safety matters are discussed in the safety commission meeting held on the Friday of each grand prix weekend, though attendance to this is not mandatory and numerous riders – including Quartararo – don’t always turn up.

Speaking directly about the sprint race and what the expected limit should be for riders, and whether this can be dictated by them, Gresini’s Alex Marquez said: “I feel at the moment we don’t have the power to do that”.

Alex Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Pressed on what would change this, he replied: “To have a riders’ commission. It’s something that is the future, and we need to have to avoid the problems yesterday with Pol and things like this.

“We need to talk to the riders and see who is the first one to make the first step. But we need to have a riders’ commission like all sports have.”

Riders often share differing opinions on matters, but Alex Marquez says any potential boycott of a race on safety grounds could be easily solved if there is a riders’ commission, stating “you make a petition and if it’s more than 50%, it’s a no”.

Asked as to who it should be, Marquez says “it can’t be a rider now” and has to be an ex-racer, or even a lawyer “because that guy will also need to know about contracts, what we can do and can’t do”.