Why Acosta fears intense MotoGP format and schedule means shorter rider careers

Pedro Acosta believes the intense format and calendar currently in force in MotoGP will lead to shorter rider careers.

During his media briefing ahead of the United States Grand Prix, the factory KTM rider was asked if there would be benefits to more two-week intervals between races.

"It's a good idea," replied Acosta. "Because what I feel is bad about the calendar is that now the careers of the riders will be shorter." 

Although he is only 21 and has just two MotoGP seasons under his belt, the Spaniard is already conscious of the cumulative effects of the current format. With competitive action on all three days of the 22 race weekends, he suggested rider longevity will be affected.

"There's no way to stay 22 weeks with an important session every day in the afternoon like [Friday practice], qualifying and sprint, and then the main race," he explained. "I mean, [there is no] time on the weekend when you can say, 'OK, I will go out on track, I will take my pace, step by step, I will just ride'. I mean, every day you have an important session, 22 times per year.

"This will make everything shorter because the level of stress that we will [be able to bear] will [hit] a limit."

After a sprint win in Thailand, Acosta came back down to earth in Brazil

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

While Acosta's thoughts on the matter did not quite come across consistently when speaking his second language, he went on to reference the potential for serious injuries that comes with the existing format.

"I think the sprint race is a good idea. I think shorter qualifying and practice is a good idea," he said. "But if we want to maintain riders during a long career, you cannot risk every day because when the risk is higher, the percentage of how hurt you can get is higher. That's the only thing that I think about. Not the number of races."

With the Qatar Grand Prix having been postponed, the MotoGP circus will indeed proceed to Europe following the US GP. The Spanish Grand Prix, set for 24-26 April, is next on the schedule.