Luca Marini Doubts Sprint Decision And Gives A Valid Explanation

Categories:   MotoGP 

Luca Marini does not believe that the sprint races will have the effect that Dorna expects them to have and here’s why.

Dorna’s announcement of the introduction of sprint races in MotoGP hit riders out of the blue in the second half of the 2022 season. Many are angry about the situation.

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In addition to salary discussions and fears of too much risk in the short, qualifying-like races, VR46 rider Luca Marini explains why he would have voted against the introduction of sprint races.

The Italian does not believe in the effect of the sprint races promised by Dorna:

“The most important thing is to put on a good show for the fans and thus bring in more money for the riders and all the people who work in the paddock.”

“But we also have to talk about the technical side, because currently overtaking is not easy. That will also be true for the sprint races.”

“Maybe there are just 15 riders chasing each other for ten laps and nothing happens. That’s not a good show either.”

On top of that, he is annoyed by the lacklustre way in which the sprint races are pitched to the riders. 

“They changed the format and said, ‘Here riders, this is the new mode. You earn the same amount of money because more races mean more fun for you anyway. So, have fun!'”, Luca Marini is annoyed.

“Older riders say they would have been happy if there had been more races in their day. But they don’t have to race now either.”

“I agree with them to some extent. Racing in MotoGP is great and more races means more fun, but it is also our job.”

“It is our life and it means a lot of hardship because you are a MotoGP rider 365 days a year. You have little free time and a lot of stress. The strain of the extra races becomes unbelievable.”

Reducing Laps To Make Up For The Sprint Races?

Even before the first sprint race is completed, many riders already wish to adjust the weekend schedule. 

“We have to think about it. Maybe we can reduce the number of laps in the [main] races,” Marini speculates.

He suggests reducing the number of laps in the main race as the number of points-relevant laps is set rise from 495 in 2022 to 767 in 2023, an increase of 55%.

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