MotoGP Sprint Races 2023: Schedule, Dates, Channel & Rules

MotoGP is planning the most significant format change to a race weekend in decades for 2023, as was announced last year during the Austrian Grand Prix.

A sprint race lasting up to half the length of the primary grand prix will be held on the Saturday of each of the 21 events this season.

A change to the format is expected to have a significant impact on the outcome of the 2023 MotoGP world championship.

Here is all the information you need to know about MotoGP sprint races before this weekend’s opening round of the season in Portugal.

MotoGP sprint race schedule

On the Saturday of racing weekends, the Sprint race will start at 3 p.m. local time.

It won’t take the place of the two regular qualifying rounds, which alone will determine the starting lineup for both the sprint and Sunday races.

Instead of waiting until after the third free practise on Saturday morning, the two Friday practise sessions will be extended from their normal 45-minute length, with the combined times used to decide direct entrance to qualifying session two.

In total, there are 18 scheduled events on the MotoGP docket for 2023, representing another all-time high for the calendar.

The Finland GP, which was cancelled in 2022 due to the “geopolitical situation”, will again not take place in 2023.

Date Race Track Start time (ET) Winner (Team)
March 24-26 Portuguese GP Autodromo Internacional do Algarve TBC TBD
March 31-April 2 Argentina GP Termas de Rio Hondo TBC TBD
April 14-16 Americas GP Circuit of the Americas TBC TBD
April 28-30 Spanish GP Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto TBC TBD
May 1 Jerez test Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto TBC TBD
May 12-14 French GP Le Mans TBC TBD
June 9-11 Italian GP Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello TBC TBD
June 16-18 German GP Sachsenring TBC TBD
June 23-25 Dutch GP Assen TBC TBD
July 7-9 Kazakhstan GP Sokol TBC TBD
August 4-6 British GP Silverstone TBC TBD
August 18-20 Austrian GP Red Bull Ring – Spielberg TBC TBD
September 1-3 Catalan GP Barcelona-Catalunya TBC TBD
September 8-10 San Marino GP Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli TBC TBD
September 11 San Marino test Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli TBC TBD
September 22-24 Indian GP Buddh TBC TBD
September 29-October 1 Japanese GP Mobility Resort Motegi TBC TBD
October 13-15 Indonesian GP Mandalika TBC TBD
October 20-22 Australian GP Phillip Island TBC TBD
October 27-29 Thailand GP Chang TBC TBD
November 10-12 Malaysian GP Sepang TBC TBD
November 17-19 Qatar GP Lusail TBC TBD
November 24-26 Valencia GP Circuit Ricardo Tormo TBC TBD

MotoGP sprint race rules

The race will last approximately half the distance of the full race, with half of the points awarded to the top nine riders.

There will be a 15-minute grid procedure. Otherwise, the rules will be the same as the full-length Grand Prix the following day.

How will the weekend format change for sprint races?

The timetable for each grand prix has changed as a result of the inclusion of a sprint race to each weekend of the season.

There will still be two practise sessions on Friday, but they will start later than before.

FP1 will continue to begin at 10:45am local time and last 45 minutes, while FP2 will now begin at 3pm local time and last an hour. MotoGP sessions will always come after Moto2 and Moto3 on a race weekend.

Contrary to the past, Friday’s final running’s combined timings will determine who advances directly to Q2 for qualifying and who must compete in the elimination Q1 stage.

The session that was FP4 on Saturday morning is now FP3, which starts at 10:10am local time and lasts for 30 minutes.

Qualifying, which includes Q1 and Q2, will follow FP3 from 10:50 to 11:30 local time. This qualifying session will determine the starting grid for the sprint race and the grand prix.

Around 3 p.m. local time, the sprint race will start.

The programme for Sunday has also been somewhat changed, with MotoGP being the only class to have a warm-up session, which will now last 10 minutes instead of 20 and begin at 9:45am local time.

For all European races, the grand prix will start at 2 p.m. local time as is customary.

How many points are awarded for MotoGP sprint races?

Here’s how the points table looks for the sprint race.

Position Points
1st 12
2nd 9
3rd 7
4th 6
5th 5
6th 4
7th 3
8th 2
9th 1

How to watch MotoGP in the United States

  • TV channel and live stream: NBC

For US-based viewers, every race in the 2023 MotoGP season will be available on NBC’s family of networks. NBC and CNBC will bring you the action on TV with steaming options available on the NBC website and app.

How to watch MotoGP in Canada

  • TV channel and live stream: REV TV

For fans in Canada, REV TV will carry the telecast of races. Unfortunately, Rev TV does not stream live content on its website. However, it has made its channel available to 32 different cable TV providers in Canada.

How to watch MotoGP in the United Kingdom

  • TV channel and live stream: ITV, BT Sport

Viewers located in the United Kingdom can catch all the action courtesy of ITV and BT, including ITVX and the BT Sport app. BT Sport will have the rights over the majority of the season, but in the past ITV has shown the UK race on free-to-air TV as well as highlights.

How to watch MotoGP in Australia

  • TV channel and live stream: Foxtel; Kayo Sports

Foxtel and Kayo Sports will carry all races in Australia.

 

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