A few years ago now, I published an article entitled “the biggest problem in modern MotoGP”, but it is now dated. In three or four years, the appearance of the championship has changed, the domination of one brand has been firmly established, and the MotoGP ecosystem is at a turning point in its history. Although objectively I still think our sport is the best motorized discipline in the world, there are still some problems, and the one I'm going to outline today seems particularly important to me.
I would like to point out that this is only my opinion, and that it in no way reflects the thoughts of the editorial staff.
Americanization before its time
In the USA, we like to do things big. The country of
entertainmentof the spectacle, of the show leaves no room for respite. As in Fahrenheit 451, you have to be entertained, always, constantly, be filled with spectacle, flooded with comfort. If the brilliant Ray Bradbury had perhaps not foreseen the emergence of a sport as pleasant to watch as MotoGP, he was right about almost everything else – in the meantime…
MotoGP is not yet owned by Liberty Mediabut it should be done one day at a time. However, DORNA Sports has already adopted some American reflexes. Although I am passionate about Uncle Sam's country, its sporting culture and its traditions, certain methods exasperate me; among them, excess.
Too much is enough. Perhaps the legacy of current drivers will suffer. Photo: Michelin Motorsport
In my opinion, the main problem of MotoGP currently is the abundance. I find, very personally once again, that there are too many races, that's all. This may seem strange coming from a professional in this field, but I love sport, that's how it is. It is possible that this trend will result in harmful dynamics, if this is not already the case.
More spectacle, less tension
It's a constant in the world of events, but one that doesn't seem to bother anyone in MotoGP, specifically. It applies to all sports, all shows. The more rounds there are in a championship, the less each round weighs. By this I mean that the multiplication of races on the calendar goes hand in hand, proportionally, with the reduction in tension and suspense.
The addition of Sprint races has only made this phenomenon worse.which had already displeased me since 2019, when the calendar had 19 events.
It's a problem from the viewer's point of view. The more races there are, the less exceptional they are in our eyes, but also in those of the drivers. With 44 departures planned in 2025, a tenor can afford to charge forward with his eyes down, to fall, several times, if necessary. And if he's second for the duration of a race, it's not so serious. This is one of the reasons, along with, of course, the personalities of the protagonists, which has caused a total absence of tension for several years.
Japan's Alex Rins seemed to question the emotionless title racealthough it was tight until the end. Martin, second most of the year, could afford to smile. Bagnaia had enough to absorb his mistakes. That wasn't possible ten years ago.
And we have to believe that it will intensify in 2025: 22 Grands Prix are planned, including a new one at Balaton Park, in Hungary.
We all agreed that it was a great campaign, okay, but was it that memorable? Will we remember crucial moments, milestone races in ten or fifteen years? I don't believe it, because everything is moving too quickly, we are full of trials. Previously, it took fifteen days to three weeks to recover from a battle where the two pilots had no other choice but to cross swords. Now, they meet again the next day for another try.
I would go even further, in a rather pessimistic manner, I can imagine. Barring exceptional conditions (the battle for the 2021 Formula 1 title is a great counter-example), I think it will be very difficult if not impossible to witness a tense season from start to finish given the number of races, which , after a while, can only reduce the pressure. Two drivers cannot fight every time over 44 rounds. There are so many opportunities to reconcile on arrival, to congratulate each other, to calculate. These are opportunities that the heroes of this sport did not have before. The risk is no longer worth it.
Tomorrow, we will continue to explore this issue that is dear to me. See you at 8:30 p.m. for the second part! Waiting for, tell me what you thought of it in the comments!
The emergence of young prodigies like Pedro Acosta or David Alonso will only push the authorities to give more, always more. Photo: Michelin Motorsport
Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport
