Let's talk MotoGP: Are there too many races on the calendar?

Since yesterday, we have been looking into a possible problem linked to too many races in MotoGP. Is the busy schedule hurting the show? Can the drivers give their all over 44 consecutive starts? In order to understand the ins and outs of this analysis, I invite you to find the first part by clicking here.

What do you give the pilots?

Here is another point that I will briefly address because it is obvious. Pilots get tired a lot moreespecially since motorcycles, always more efficient, do not help them. Thus, these too many races represent potential injuries and declines in form. Soon, we could legitimately think that the champion will not be the best, but the one who will be able to manage over time and slip through the cracks of the net. Do you want such discipline? Me, no, and the example of Oliveira, Rins or even Bastianini in past years tends to give weight to this argument. I don't even mention the physical or mental fatiguethe workload of mechanics, or the carbon footprint resulting from incessant travel, while we, simple citizens, have to make so much effort.

The drivers, if they run so much, cannot present themselves in 100% form at each start.

Concrete examples

The abundance of representations – and therefore images emanating from the organizer – so dear to Americans, is not a “problem” only in MotoGP. To tell the truth,
it affects all sports, sometimes proving devastating. The NBA, the American basketball championship, counts 82 matches per team each season, not counting the playoffs. For two years, a cut has been added in the middle of winter, to try to create an additional challenge, as if that wasn't enough. Result: the 2024 season, which began six months ago now, is the least attended in a long time (-48% audience since 2012). At the time, there were already that many matches, but I think this accumulation has nothing to do with it.

The same goes for football, whose figures are always good, but whose spectators are getting more and more tired. The new formula of the Champions League does not convince war, because it increases the number of prestigious matches. A Barca-Bayern once exceptional because rare becomes a common match in 2024. Exactly like a Lorenzo-Pedrosa duel was tasty, because we thought about it three weeks before. Now, who is shivering with anticipation to have a Bagnaia-Martin or Bastianini-Marquez fight?

I could continue by mentioning baseball, once the No. 1 sport in the United States and now in free fall, with long regular seasons of 162 games per franchise (!) No one wants to do that to themselves.. Formula 1 is working well for the moment on this expansion model, but because the product as we currently see it is recent; and yet, it is already tiring the main stakeholders, that is to say the pilots.

Besides that, in the USA, the sport that affects the most people remains American football. With only 17 games per regular seasoneach meeting takes the form of a final, because each “round” can determine the outcome of a campaign. The season only lasts five months, and every year it is eagerly awaited. Despite a significant number of injuries linked to the nature of the discipline, the stars are at their peak, ready to give themselves during each outing on the field.

Conclusion

This is just an opinion, but in my opinion, you will understand,
MotoGP is losing its exceptional side. Too much is the enemy of good, but unfortunately, billions weigh more than the simple opinion of an unknown editor. To my great regret, I see no going back on this point. Please note: this does not mean that I do not like the sport as it is, but simply that I miss the tension, the waiting, the suspense. The growing number of races is no stranger to this nostalgia.

What did you think of this analysis? Do you share my opinion on the matter? Tell me in comments?

As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial team.

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport