Keith Huewen: Should Brad Binder’s Sprint be a MotoGP win?

Should winning the new Sprint race count as an official MotoGP victory, decide the Sunday grid or remain relevant for ‘half points’ only?

MotoGP desk_1

04 Apr 2023

That was one of the topics raised by host Harry Benjamin in this week’s Crash.net MotoGP podcast with Keith Huewen, following last weekend’s Argentine Grand Prix.

KTM’s Brad Binder delivered a stunning 15th to 1st charge on Saturday at Termas de Rio Hondo, claiming his first win since 2021.

The problem is, officially at least, it wasn’t a win.

Only the main Sunday race counts as a ‘grand prix’ win or podium, even though the points scored in the Sprint (don’t call it a race) do count towards the world championship.

That means, according to the record books, not only does Binder’s MotoGP victory drought since August 2021 continue but third-place finisher Luca Marini is yet to take a premier-class podium.

“You couldn't meet a nicer guy than Binder and to take that Sprint win was just outstanding given where KTM has been on the timesheets this winter,“ said former grand prix podium finisher and British champion Huewen.

“Coming to the question, if the Sprint results decided the grid positions on Sunday it would stop the possibility of people with no chance of getting into the top nine for a point potentially pulling out or not trying as hard as they need to.

“We've not seen that happen yet, but I feel that situation will evolve as the year moves on. People will work out whether it's worth saving mileage on the engines or avoiding the risk of crash damage.

“I’m even hearing that some people in the paddock want three Sprint races over a weekend. Two on a Sunday. They almost want to steal the thunder of World Superbikes!

"I hope not. I think a long race is where we're at with the prototype MotoGP class, but I can see why people are banging the drum for it because the Sprints have been a great show.

“All those naysayers that said it would be ‘madness’ seemed to have settled back a little bit.”

Crash.net’s MotoGP editor Pete McLaren said: “I just can't get my head around the fact that Binder didn't officially win on the weekend.

“If you look at Binder's stats on the official MotoGP website, he still hasn't won a MotoGP race since 2021 because the Sprint doesn't count. It just seems a bit weird and a bit artificial to me.

“Then you had Sunday’s Moto2 race reduced to 14 laps due to the weather. Just two laps more than the MotoGP Sprint. So Tony Arbolino was a grand prix winner over 14 laps in Moto2, but Brad Binder wasn't a grand prix winner over 12 laps in MotoGP.

“I hope that will change. It wasn’t really an issue in Portimao because Francesco Bagnaia won both races, but whenever we get an unexpected winner - as Binder was from 15th - or a first-time winner in a Sprint, it'll really stand out. World Superbike includes all three of its races as wins.

“I know including Sprints in the MotoGP win statistics would mean all-time records are slanted in favour of the present grid, with 42 races in a season. But does that really matter?

“The record books are far from 'pure' anyway because the calendar is so much bigger than it ever used to be, even without Sprints. Riders also no longer enter more than one class at a time, plus there's been the introduction of flag-to-flag races and short restarted races.

“The 1961 Argentine 500cc race at Buenos Aires took one hour and 40 minutes. Other races of that era took over an hour and a half to complete. That’s double a current MotoGP.

“So even a full MotoGP on a Sunday is a Sprint compared to the old grand prix races. I just think a race is a race. Extend the Sprint to two-thirds distance if needed, so it’s officially long enough for a GP.

"Give fewer points than on a Sunday if you like but let's give credit where it's due and call a win in a MotoGP race, a MotoGP win.”

Huewen added: “You’re right, in the old days you’d have nine rounds in a season or something. And the point scoring was different as well. So you can’t compare rider records from different eras anyway, it’s like apples and pears.

“There may be something deeper than this. It might be that contractually the manufacturers and teams would have to pay massive bonuses if the Sprint is called a Grand Prix.

“It’s a new situation, everybody is trying to make this revised weekend format work and I’m sure the Sprint will evolve as we move into 2024. It definitely needs some tweaks here and there.

“But in terms of the level of intensity, it doesn't seem to matter now whether we've got a Sprint or a main race, I need oxygen just to watch the first couple of laps!

“It’s phenomenal. It's like gladiators without swords. I'm so impressed with the way these guys are racing at the moment. There isn't any quarter given anywhere at any time in any condition. Bloody impressive really.

“But the number of riders injured does make me think MotoGP needs some more teams on the grid…”