Former MotoGP star “has seen the fatigue on everyone’s face” in longer seasons
The 2025 MotoGP season was the longest ever, but was it too much on the riders?
Former MotoGP star Andrea Dovizioso says he has “seen the fatigue on everyone’s faces” as the championship’s calendars become longer and more condensed.
The 2025 MotoGP season was the longest ever, with 22 rounds staged between February and November.
The second half of the season was particularly brutal, with two rounds held every three weekends up to the Valencia finale.
Compounding this has been the addition of sprints to the weekend format, with the number of races held in 2025 totalling 44.
The first year of the sprint format in 2023 didn’t see a single event with the full-time grid present, as injuries took their toll.
In 2025, there were only two rounds where the full grid raced.
World Superbike-bound Miguel Oliveira believes the intense weekend format, where riders are on the limit from FP1 before essentially facing a pre-qualifying on Friday afternoon.
“From the first lap in FP1, it’s a fast lap,” Oliveira said during the Portuguese Grand Prix weekend.
“We’re not testing anything, we’re just doing fast laps straight away.
“The intensity is very high, and it’s difficult for us to make decisions. You can see that from the type of injuries this season and the number of races without the full grid.
“I think this could be a factor.”
Double world champion Pecco Bagnaia laid the blame for the increased number of injuries on the sprints, adding: “Repeated crashes are something that started with sprints.
“We’ve almost never had a full grid, at least in some races, if not in the entire season.
“Two races per weekend means two starts, and starts are when the most accidents can happen.”
Fifteen-time MotoGP race winner and current Yamaha test rider Andrea Dovizioso noted: “I’ve seen the fatigue in everyone’s faces.
“I don’t want to say anything against the championship, but all these races and all these long, intense weekends are quite tough.
“And when things don’t go well, it increases tenfold.”
List of riders who missed MotoGP races in 2025 due to injury
Jorge Martin: Rounds 1-3 (pre-season training injury)
Miguel Oliveira: Argentina GP - Spanish GP (Shoulder injury from Termas sprint collision)
Jorge Martin: Rounds 5-11 (Multiple injuries from Qatar GP crash)
Somkiat Chantra: French GP (arm pump)
Ai Ogura: British GP and Aragon GP (Knee injury from Silverstone practice crash)
Luca Marini: Rounds 8-10 (Multiple injuries from Suzuka 8 Hours testing crash)
Franco Morbidelli: German GP and Czech GP (Pain from Germany sprint crash)
Somkiat Chantra: German GP - Hungarian GP (Training crash injury)
Maverick Vinales: German GP - Hungarian GP (Shoulder injury from Germany qualifying crash)
Enea Bastianini: German GP (Illness)
Jorge Martin: Japanese GP - Portuguese GP (Shoulder injury from Motegi sprint crash)
Ai Ogura: Japanese GP and Indonesian GP (Hand injury from Misano GP crash)
Maverick Vinales: Indonesian GP - Portuguese GP (Ongoing pain from Germany shoulder injury)
Marc Marquez: Out of final four rounds (Shoulder injury from Indonesian GP collision)
Raul Fernandez: Portuguese GP (Shoulder injury from Portimao FP1 crash)
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