The structure of the MotoGP race weekend will change starting with the British GP

Eight races into this year’s MotoGP season, the race weekend is already being adjusted. Starting this year, riders will have only two Friday practice sessions to set the best possible time that will take them into the final qualifying session and into the battle for pole position. However, the International Motorcycle Federation (FIM), series promoter Dorna and the MotoGP Teams Association have agreed a major change since the British GP. Starting with the first race after the summer break, only Friday afternoon practice will count for qualifying.

This year’s debut of the MotoGP sprint category represented the first change to the race weekend structure since 2013. The current system, in which times from free practice sessions determine whether or not riders advance to Q2, was introduced for the first time this season.

The sprints have not changed this system conceptually. However, it has robbed the drivers of valuable time for all the on-track testing. Qualifying was moved to Saturday morning.

At the same time, the number of practice runs was reduced from four to three. Of these, only the first two practice sessions from Friday now counted towards the Dutch GP for qualifying.

It didn’t even take eight races before MotoGP decided to modify the race weekend after agreement between the FIM, Dorna and the stable association.

Starting with the British GP, Friday morning practice will turn into a strictly free practice. Like Saturday morning practice, it will have no effect on the Q1 or Q2 grid. Only the times from Friday afternoon practice will decide who qualifies for which qualifying session.

This change will give drivers and teams more time to familiarise themselves with the track and find the ideal set-up for their machines, without also having to look back at their fast laps. All of this stress will shift exclusively to Friday afternoon practice.

The length of all practice runs will remain the same, with only the official naming of each run undergoing a transformation. The morning practice sessions will be called “Free Practice 1” and “Free Practice 2” from the next Grand Prix onwards. The Friday afternoon practice will be officially called “Practice”.

In the attached Twitter post below, you can see all the changes illustrated that will go into effect the first weekend of August.

Sources: MotoGP, FIM