MotoGP: BT Sport team give verdicts as sprint races arrive for 2023

MotoGP revealed its weekend schedule for 2023 at the Aragon GP on Saturday, with sprint races included.

The premier class of motorcycle racing will bring in sprint races at every single race weekend from next year, with half distances being run of a full GP and half points on offer.

It’s an intriguing and exciting time for the series, then, but what do the people set to call the action make of the idea? We spoke to Gavin Emmett, Neil Hodgson and Michael Laverty at BT Sport to find out…

Gavin Emmett

“For the fans it’s brilliant. It’s absolutely superb for the fans and great for us as a TV station showing racing because what fans want is more racing. I’m an old fuddy-duddy purist, so I’m not a massive fan of it, from a traditionalist point of view. The Grand Prix for me was always about the one big event on a Sunday. That’s just because I’m boring, an old fart! I actually think it’s brilliant for the fans. I think it’s gonna be great. It’s gonna get more eyes on it. For people at the tracks like on a Saturday, it’s not just qualifying, there’ll be a race going on. So it gives you even more reason to make a full weekend out of it. I think it’s a positive thing, whether it’ll bring new people to the sport, I don’t know. But the people that are already who are coming to the racetracks, it’ll keep them happy.

“I think [a sprint at ever race] is better than being three rounds. If they’re three rounds that worked for a particular manufacturer, then it could work even worse, because you get more points. I think the fact it is every round I’ve not got any problem with. Some of the riders don’t like it but lot of the riders do like it, because that’s when they have the best part of the weekend which is enjoying racing.

“It does