MotoGP organizing body Dorna Sports caused rider ranks uproar when it proposed sprint races for 2023 at the Austrian Grand Prix. Despite the rider and fan backlash, Dorna promptly moved ahead, confirming 2023 sprint races the very next day. While riders focused on the potential fatigue caused by an additional race, many fans also called out point-scoring issues and the resulting impact on historical records.
Under the new format, the race weekend’s Friday practice sessions (FP1 and FP2) will go unchanged and qualifying sessions (Q1 and Q2) will follow Saturday morning’s FP3 session. The half-distance sprint race will occur Saturday afternoon, replacing FP4. However, the earlier qualifying sessions will determine the starting grid for both Saturday and Sunday races.
