MotoGP is preparing for the turning point with 21 GPs and the introduction of sprint races. Cal Crutchlow highlights what will change for riders and teams.
The world championship of MotoGP is preparing to enter a new era, made up for the first time of a very high number of Grands Prix. There will be 21 stages for 42 races, considering the introduction of sprint races on Saturdays. The new calendar will impose forced rhythms especially in the season finale, with insiders who will have to compete in 7 races in two months in the east.
The insiders will have to stay away from home for two months, as it would not be profitable, economically and psychologically, to return home for a few days. It will also be a unique year for Yamaha which, for the first time in its history in MotoGP, will race with only two bikes, given that the RNF satellite team has switched to Aprilia. At this point, a greater effort on the part of the tester can be expected Cal Crutchlowwhich is expected to hold three wild cards and a series of private tests to help develop the M1.
The new face of MotoGP
The 37-year-old Briton does not fail to give his cynical and unscrupulous analysis on the new status quo of the MotoGP. “I can’t imagine 21 Grands Prix next year. It will be tough, not just for the riders“. In fact, the caravan of the World Mobility Championship is a few thousand people including pilots, mechanics, technicians, press officers, cooks and all professionals. It will be necessary to adapt quickly and without too many objections, because the job could be at risk. “There will always be someone ready to replace you if you are not available. They will have no trouble finding people who want to work as a mechanic or cook in the paddock“.
The riders will also have a hard time, given that at the moment there are no extra bonuses for double-race weekends. Risks and insurance costs are increasing, but not wages. “The pilots are not particularly smart“, Crutchlow underlined ironically, as reported by Motorsport-Total.com. “If you sign a contract, it’s better to do it race by race. Instead they are naïve and sign for an entire season. But now suddenly there are twice as many races… They need better managers“.
Does anyone remember that the F1 World Championship he counts 24 races for the first time and nobody is complaining. But the Yamaha tester recalls how more people are involved within the teams and how they often work on a rotational basis. “Maybe the mechanics and engineers are always the same, but when they get to the track everything is ready. In MotoGP, on the other hand, we try to do it with fewer mechanics. I’m only talking about mechanics now, but this affects the entire infrastructure“.
