MotoGP is completely shaking up its weekend schedule for 2027 by shifting to two distinct qualifying sessions, introducing a brand-new Friday session specifically to set the sprint grid, and according to The Race, it has completely divided opinion across the paddock.
Under the new rules, warm-up sessions are gone for good, non-competitive practice time is reduced, and the whole field will be thrown together on track at once for two separate sessions: a 15-minute Friday sprint qualifying and a revamped Q1 on Saturday morning for the grand prix.
the benefits to promoters are just too obvious to not do this.
Val Khorounzhiy called the move a mixed bag, noting it creates an extra qualifying burden for 10 more riders who now have to push hard on Friday and again in Q1, while raising doubts that it will actually ease the physical load on the riders.
Simon Patterson didn't hold back, flatly stating "I hate it" and calling it yet another step in the wrong direction that ramps up the potential risk of crashes by putting 22 riders on track together in a short 15-minute window. Patterson added that MotoGP deputy CEO Carlos Ezpeleta claimed the format was proposed and worked on collectively with teams and riders, though Patterson noted he has yet to find a single team that agrees with that account.
Megan White echoed safety concerns about packing every rider onto the track for both sprint qualifying on Friday and Q1 on Saturday morning, warning it is a recipe for an increased number of crashes and injuries, while also questioning the decision to scrap the warm-up session entirely.
On the other side of the debate, Glenn Freeman pointed out some definite positives, praising the removal of practice having any bearing on qualifying and welcoming the idea of everyone having the same shot under the same circumstances in Q1.
Meanwhile, Matt Beer suggested the overhaul isn't really about sporting necessity since sprint races already offer enough variation, but rather a business-driven move to give circuits meaningful track action on all three days, noting that "the benefits to promoters are just too obvious to not do this."
