MotoGP's sprint format is no longer an experiment but its Chief Sporting Officer Carlos Ezpeleta knows it remains one of the championship's most contentious talking points, even as TV audiences soared this season to watch the shorter format.
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Introduced in the 2023 season, the half-length races have turbo-charged television audiences with a viewership increase of 26 per cent on Saturdays while overall TV audiences are up 9 per cent, according to figures published by MotoGP.
Moreover, the 22-round season brought 3.6 million fans to race tracks, breaking nine attendance records as MotoGP celebrated one of its most memorable seasons yet when Ducati's Marc Marquez returned to the summit with his seventh crown.
To the outsider, it looks like a win-win: more races, more viewers, more money. To the riders, however, 22 Grand Prix races and 22 sprints is a different proposition that results in a much heavier workload.
Formula One has sprint races only at select circuits and no more than six a season, but Ezpeleta left little room for ambiguity about its future as MotoGP tries to strike a balance between sporting tradition and accessibility for new audiences.
"We think having the same format every weekend is really crucial to our sport, especially in a phase where we're so focused on capturing new fans," Ezpeleta told Reuters.
"Having a sport that's easy to understand, that's the same every weekend... The same points are on the table every weekend. It gives that consistency of a world championship and we think that's very important."
DEFENCE OF SPRINTS
Ezpeleta's defence of sprints comes despite persistent concerns from riders over the dilution of the traditional Sunday Grand Prix and injury risk with fewer practice sessions.
But Ezpeleta rejected the idea that sprints undermine MotoGP's marquee Sunday races.
"I don't see that, the points difference is so big," he said.
"It was always going to take some time for the riders and teams to get their head around the format of the weekend, where you want to push and where you want to be more passive.
"Of course, injuries are a big part of our sport and we'll do anything to prevent that. But at the end, it's action on track and through experience, they've improved a lot."
INCREASE IN ATTENDANCES AND AUDIENCES
From the perspective of Dorna, the organisers of MotoGP, the numbers justify the approach.
Ezpeleta said the inclusion of sprints on Saturday has increased both attendance and TV audiences, describing it as their "biggest and most global season yet" as the championship reported a 12 per cent rise in global fans to 632 million in 2025.
The shift in MotoGP's audience profile has only strengthened Dorna's resolve, with more than half their audience under 35.
"We are the sport of raw emotion, grit and of being defiant," he said proudly.
"The pace of it, the risk – everything that is centric to MotoGP – has really helped establish a young fan base. I think it's something that a lot of sports would kill to have."
GLOBAL EXPANSION PLAN
Despite the longer calendar, Europe remains a hotspot for MotoGP with 14 of the 22 Grands Prix held on the continent, including four in Spain.
But Ezpeleta said that could change in the future with global expansion central to the plan.
"In terms of markets, the US and the UK are very strategic to us and we continue to have focus in southeast Asia, including India and China," he said.
"They are two huge markets for the motorcycle industry, but for MotoGP also, and South America as well. That doesn't mean that we're forgetting about our more mature markets like Spain, Italy and France.
"But we do have this focus for growth. Down the line, we will have more races outside Europe, that's what we're pushing for."