Two races at one track “not pure” MotoGP – Espargaro
Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro says MotoGP staging two races at one race track is something he doesn’t like as it doesn’t make for a “pure or good championship”.


MotoGP’s 2020 calendar consisted of five double-header races which took place at repeat venues in Jerez, Austria, Misano, Aragon and Valencia as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2021 season kicked off with back-to-back Qatar races, with the Doha GP – along with a round in Portugal – added to replace the postponed US and Argentine rounds.
With COVID border restrictions forcing MotoGP to cancel this year’s Finnish GP, the championship announced on Friday the Styrian GP would return to form a double-header of Red Bull Ring races backed with the Austrian GP.
When asked for his opinion on the matter, Espargaro said: “First of all, I know Dorna is doing their best to do this championship with the conditions of COVID.
“But I don’t like at all to do two races in the same track, even if they decide to do two races in Aragon, my favourite track.
“I don’t like it at all, we’re not doing a pure and good championship. That’s my opinion.”
Red Bull Ring’s safety came under fire after 2020’s double-header following several high-profile incidents, including the horrific collision between Johann Zarco and Franco Morbidelli in the Austrian GP.
Despite ongoing discussions, no additional safety modifications will be made to Red Bull Ring for the 2021 season – but Espargaro says changes will be made for 2022, though didn’t detail what they would be.
“Austria is even worse because everything is just straight, three corners,” he added.

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“The good thing is we are talking every single safety commission about Austria, about different options, but unfortunately for 2021 there will not be any modifications. But for 2022, there will be.
“So, two races there with no modifications obviously doesn’t make the riders happy at all I’m sure.”
The Styrian GP will take place on the weekend of 6-8 August, while MotoGP’s summer break will begin after the Dutch TT on the weekend of 25-27 June.
On Friday MotoGP announced new five-year deals for the KymiRing to stage the Finnish GP from 2022 and the Sachsenring to continue hosting the German GP through to 2026.
Related video

French MotoGP: Marc Marquez quickest in mostly wet FP3
French MotoGP: Quartararo grabs third successive pole in Yamaha 1-2

Latest news
Retiring MotoGP ace Dovizioso "really didn't expect" Yamaha struggles
Retiring 15-time MotoGP race winner Andrea Dovizioso admits he "really didn't expect" to encounter the struggles he has in adapting to the Yamaha MotoGP bike.
2022 MotoGP title fight now “very tight”, says Aleix Espargaro
Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro believes the current MotoGP championship picture following the British Grand Prix has set up “a very, very tight” title battle.
Pol Espargaro doesn’t think Honda is reacting to MotoGP woes
Pol Espargaro isn’t sure the problems Honda is facing at races in MotoGP this season are being relayed back to Japan as “we’re not getting the material we need”.
Marc Marquez to return to MotoGP paddock at Austrian GP for Honda progress update
Marc Marquez will return to the MotoGP paddock at the Austrian Grand Prix to check up on Honda’s progress as he continues his own rehabilitation.
The signs Quartararo’s 2022 MotoGP title is slipping away from him
Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. But a crash at Assen and the consequential penalty he had to serve last weekend at Silverstone stopped him from capitalising on a main rival’s injury woes, while a resurgence from another, plus the rise of a former team-mate, look set to conspire against the Yamaha rider
Why Marquez’s toughest MotoGP foe is stopping at the right time
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso announced that he will be retiring from MotoGP after September’s San Marino GP. The timing of his departure raised eyebrows, but his reasoning remains sensible and what has happened this year should not diminish a hard-built legacy
Why a Suzuki refugee feels he deserves MotoGP's toughest challenge
Alex Rins’ MotoGP future was plunged into sudden doubt when Suzuki elected to quit the series at the end of 2022. Securing a deal with Honda to join LCR, he will now tread a path that many have fallen off from. But it was a move he felt his status deserved, and it’s a challenge – he tells Autosport - he faces with his eyes wide open…
How Formula 1 has driven MotoGP's changing nature
The hiring of technicians from Formula 1 has clearly contributed to a recent change in the MotoGP landscape, with the role of engineers gaining greater significance relative to the riders. Here's how this shift has come about
The revolution behind Aprilia's rise from MotoGP tail-ender to pack-leader
Coinciding with the arrival of Massimo Rivola as head of its MotoGP division, Aprilia has undergone an internal revolution that has spurred it from occupying last place in the team standings to leading the table in the space of just two years. Those entrenched in the project reveal how the ex-Ferrari F1 chief has achieved the dramatic turnaround
The battle Yamaha's wayward son is fighting to be fast again in MotoGP
Franco Morbidelli was long overdue a promotion to factory machinery when it finally came late last year, having finished runner-up in the 2020 standings on an old Yamaha package. But since then the Italian has been a shadow of his former self as he toils to adapt to the 2022 M1, and recognises that he needs to change his style to be quick on it
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. Key paddock figures explain why.
Who is Valentino Rossi’s newest MotoGP star?
Valentino Rossi’s protégés stole the show at Assen as Francesco Bagnaia stormed to victory to arrest a recent barren run. But it was the rider in second, on Bagnaia’s old bike, who had all eyes on him. Securing his and the VR46 team’s first MotoGP podium, Marco Bezzecchi has all the characteristics that made his mentor special