Sprint race gets its own qualifying session
Photos by Yamaha.
MotoGP race weekends are going to look different in 2027, and we’re not just talking about the new 850cc engine displacement and Pirelli tires. MotoGP announced a new format for each race weekend, with a separate qualifying session for the Sprint race, creating a separate starting grid for the Sprint and for the Grand Prix.
Starting next season, the grid for the Saturday Sprint races will be set by a dedicated 15-minute qualifying session on Friday afternoon, open to all riders. The Sunday race will have its own qualifying sessions. Until now, qualifying sessions on Saturdays set the grid for both races.
The reworked Friday opens with a 45-minute FP1, unchanged from the current format, followed by a 30-minute FP2 that replaces the hour-long Practice session. Critically, lap times in that FP2 no longer carry over to decide qualifying entry. The existing Practice served as the cut-off that sends the fastest 10 riders straight to Q2 and everyone else through Q1. Starting next season, Fridays will close with the new Sprint qualifying session.
Saturdays will begin with a 20-minute FP3, trimmed from the current 30 minutes, before Grand Prix qualifying. Every rider will take part in Q1, with the top 12 advancing to Q2. The Sprint then runs Saturday afternoon, with a grid established from Friday’s qualifier.
Sunday’s schedule drops the formal 10-minute MotoGP morning warm-up entirely, with the day starting with the Moto3 and Moto2 races. For the Premier class, pitlane will be open for ten minutes before the start, allowing racers to have a few shakedown laps ahead of the race.
Current Format
<
p style=”text-align:center”>New Format Starting in 2027
FRIDAY:
FRIDAY:
Free Practice 1 – 45 minutes
Free Practice 1 – 45 minutes
Practice – 60 minutes
Free Practice 2 – 30 minutes
Sprint Qualifying – 15 minutes
SATURDAY:
SATURDAY:
Free Practice 2 – 30 minutes
Free Practice 3 – 20 minutes
Grand Prix Qualifying 1 – 15 minutes – riders outside top 10 from Practice
Grand Prix Qualifying 1 – 15 minutes – all riders
Grand Prix Qualifying 2 – 15 minutes – top 2 from Q1 plus top 10 from Practice
Grand Prix Qualifying 2 – 15 minutes – top 12 from Q1
MotoGP Sprint – grid from Q1 and Q2
MotoGP Sprint – grid from Sprint Qualifying
SUNDAY:
SUNDAY:
Moto3 Grand Prix
Moto3 Grand Prix
Moto2 Grand Prix
Moto2 Grand Prix
MotoGP Grand Prix – grid from Grand Prix qualifying
MotoGP Grand Prix – grid from Grand Prix qualifying
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