New sprint rule introduced from Austrian MotoGP round
Minor rule tweak for sprints made
MotoGP has announced a small change to the sprint regulations from this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix surrounding the grid procedure.
Introduced in 2023 in a bid to add more spectacle and give greater value to spectators, sprints have become part of the furniture three seasons into the new era.
The sprints take place on Saturdays at every grand prix weekend and run for half of the distance of the main race held on Sundays.
Sprints have added 12 extra points to every race weekend, bringing the overall haul a rider can achieve at one event to 37.
The short Saturday races run to mainly the same regulations as a grand prix, though any penalties gained prior to racing are served only on Sundays.
From this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, the 13th round of 2025, the Grand Prix Commission has announced a small tweak to the regulations regarding the grid procedure.
Teams will now have 20 minutes on the grid rather than 15 to allow them extra time to make any necessary bike adjustments.
A brief statement read: “To allow teams sufficient time on the grid to make adjustments and/or wheel changes, the duration of the grid procedure for the MotoGP Sprint has been extended to 20 minutes.
“All other grid procedures remain the same. The standard time schedule for Saturday adjusts accordingly to accommodate the extra five minutes allocated to the Sprint grid.”
The Grand Prix Commission comprises of representatives from the manufacturers’ association, the FIM, Dorna and the independent teams’ association.
So far in 2025, Marc Marquez has won the most sprints, taking victories in 11 out of the first 12 to set a new record.
Alex Marquez has won one sprint so far this season.
In this article
