Are We Getting Our True Race Winner In MotoGP?

Sprint races are certainly adding entertainment, but is it at the cost of giving riders a sporting chance?

Pecco Bagnaia has once again proven himself the man to beat in MotoGP this season. After a somewhat reserved showing in the Saturday sprint race, he turned the wick up on Sunday to win the grand prix and leave no doubt as to who is the top dog in MotoGP right now. It raises a bigger question for me on the value of the Sprint race, don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy them and I’m sure there is a tangible uptick in Saturday viewing figures to watch a race rather than just qualifying. However my issue is, and has been from the beginning, a sporting one.

Where as in seasons past, not getting it right after qualifying and having your opponents get it right just meant you weren’t good enough that day. You had to settle for your poor result in the race, take your medicine and try to get it right next time. Now though you get a mulligan, a second chance to asses your failures and get it right tomorrow, you have a chance to catch up to the riders who did get it right the first time. Is it fair? Yes, of course. But it does take away from the a aspect of racing that’s about going out there into the unknown, first time of asking, and doing the business. Now your reward for getting it right the first time is half points and your opponent knowing what he needs to do to beat you tomorrow.

And with that there now seems to be an inevitability to Bagnaia. He and his team are so good at assessing their performances, adjusting, and delivering the following day. Without the sprint, Pecco could conceivably have been going into the next round in fifth in the standings, and with huge question marks over his ability to repeat his previous successes. Instead he leads the championship and looks a nailed on favourite to become a three time successive MotoGP world champion. Of course that does mean that he was the best rider this weekend, but something tells me that without a sprint race we would be talking about the dominance of Jorge Martin or the incredible pace of Aleix Espargaro. Instead we’re looking at a Martin who just didn’t have that elite pace to go with Pecco and a disappointing Aprilia that maybe needs to start looking at getting a more talented rider to deliver them the success they are capable of.

For better or worse I don’t think sprint races are going anywhere, and as I mentioned, I really do enjoy watching them. But I just cant shake the feeling we’re not getting our true race winner because of them.