KTM MotoGP Pedro Acosta warns increased injury risk, shorter careers with new sprint qualifying

KTM star Pedro Acosta says “we are not racing cars”, and that MotoGP’s new sprint qualifying format in 2027 will have several negative knock-on effects.

Increased stress, more risk of injury, and even shorter careers are what Acosta is predicting the changes to potentially cause. 

The 2027 race schedule will now feature a sprint qualifying session at all 22 rounds. This means MotoGP will now feature three practice sessions that have no bearing on qualifying, two qualifying sessions, and two races (sprint and Grand Prix).

There will also be no warm-up session on a Sunday morning, which is currently very popular with riders as it allows them to fine tune their package ahead of the Grand Prix.

By introducing sprint qualifying, MotoGP is adding another intense session to every weekend, and one that is considerably more stressful for the riders than the 10-minute warm-up. 

Speaking in Mandalika ahead of this weekend’s Indonesian MotoGP, Acosta said: 

“We have no choice, for this it doesn't really matter what we think about it. But it will be a really tough year, because you know how much stress a rider has during a MotoGP weekend, because many times the weekend starts already on Wednesday with pre-events and all these things.

“We already have many sessions where we have to risk everything, like PR, qualifying, sprint, and main race, already four. And we have 22 [times] two [races], because we have a sprint race every weekend.

“For this, I don't know if it will be the best thing to make a sprint qualifying on Friday with 22 guys on track, Q1 with 22 guys again, Q2, sprint race, and main race.

“I understand this [new] format if we have [only] half of the sprint races. But the problem is that we have many races already. If you check all the list of the riders, there are not many that don't have an injury during the whole season.

“For this, I think this will be even worse. Also, to have no warm-up, I don't know if it will be the cleverest thing if somebody crashes on Saturday to check that the bike is working fine and like it should be.”

While no practice session will require riders to set a time attack in the closing stages to try and gain direct access to Q2, implementing a format where all 22 riders are on track at the same time, which will be the case in both the sprint and ‘normal’ qualifying sessions, could lead to more risks overall.

Acosta went on to say this:

“We are risking a lot already. We are not racing cars. When we crash, even if it's a small one, it's our body that touches the ground and not the cockpit. For this, I think we should think about it.

“We are already risking too much. I understand the format if we have just half of the sprint races, but the problem is that we have 22. I mean, it's impossible that, risking five times 100 per cent every weekend, you don't get an injury. It's no way. It's normal that the guys get injured.”

Could careers be shorter?

Due to the risks involved with having this many sessions that will play such a pivotal role every weekend, Acosta believes careers could be shortened as a result. 

The current schedule already takes a heavy toll on MotoGP riders, not least because of the pressures involved with racing, injuries, and large amounts of travelling. 

“For me, like I say, we should start to take out risky sessions during the calendar, because there are also many sprint races that are really boring,” said the Spaniard.

“I mean, when we go to Sachsenring, we cannot overtake, this race is boring from lap 1 to lap 15. Half [the Sprints] I think is a good number. Also, everyone knows, after four years, what sprint races are more interesting.”

“The professional careers of the riders will be shorter and shorter and shorter and shorter if we keep [going] like this."

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