The unpredictability of MotoGP™ is just one of the many qualities that make it such an exhilarating spectacle. A big influence in that unpredictability is the weather: a factor that all outdoor sporting events must contend with.
So exactly how does weather impact MotoGP™ races? The technical, strategic and safety aspects of MotoGP™ are all affected by the weather and there have been many occasions throughout the sport’s history when the elements have played a decisive role in how a race has unfolded.
In this article, we will look at the consequences weather conditions have on the sport, and how MotoGP™riders and their teams plan, adapt and strategise around them.
Weather conditions that impact MotoGP™ races
Each of the elements has its own set of gruelling effects on riders and their motorcycles, with each presenting performance-impacting outcomes.
Rain can cause all kinds of challenges in MotoGP™, most notably for the way in which it directly affects the motorcycle’s grip on the asphalt of the racetrack. MotoGP™ tyre selection in weather conditions is especially important, and special tyres known as “wets” are required in order to be able to handle the reduced grip caused by water on the track surface.
Riders cannot lean their bikes as much when taking corners in the wet, and acceleration and braking are also significantly impacted with smoother, less aggressive action from the rider required to ensure the bike remains under control in such tricky conditions.
Then of course there is reduced visibility. A rider’s ability to see and react is compromised due to spray, as the tyres from multiple motorcycles flick the track’s surface water up and create low visibility.
Read more here about how rain, wet-drying conditions and changeable weather can lead to the declaration of flag-to-flag races in MotoGP™.
How heat affects MotoGP™ races
Heat is another key weather factor that brings a number of challenges. When the sun beats down and the track surface temperature increases, so too does tyre grip, but that comes at a cost as tyre degradation also quickly increases.
Heat also impacts fuel consumption and other mechanical performance areas, not to mention the effect it has on a rider’s physical condition as they battle dehydration.
At the other end of the scale, cold weather brings another set of problems. Many of the technical areas of a motorcycle operate optimally once a minimum temperature has been reached, so excessively cold weather significantly slows that process and affects performance.
For example, tyres take longer to reach their sweet spot temperature-wise and therefore have less grip for longer, and carbon brakes are less effective in colder conditions.
MotoGP™ tyre selection in adverse weather is therefore also highly impacted by both hot and cold temperatures.
Then there’s wind, which adds further complications. In a sport that pursues the cutting edge of aerodynamic efficiency in the quest for top performance, swirling winds around a track can cause all kinds of issues for riders trying to tame a powerful MotoGP™ bike. Wind can also cool the track surface, thus also affecting tyre grip.
How MotoGP™ teams and riders adapt to weather conditions
Tackling the above-mentioned issues is one of the ongoing challenges MotoGP™ teams have become accustomed to. There are various methods that help navigate the difficulties presented by adverse weather conditions.
Adaptation is key, and adjustments in tyre selection is a major area in which teams find some flexibility to be able to handle what the weather will throw at them.
When it comes to wet weather, specialised wet-weather tyres which have a tread are on offer to riders. Each rider has a wet tyre allocation throughout a race weekend of six front tyres and seven rear. These tyres come in two specifications: soft and medium. With the enhanced grip offered by the “wets”, riders can ride with more confidence when the rain affects MotoGP™ races.
In all other conditions, riders use dry tyres known as “slicks”, of which they each get an allocation of 12 rear and ten front for a full race weekend. You will often see riders on the starting grid with tyre warmers on their wheels as their teams attempt to maintain an optimum temperature as close as possible to the race start, and maintain grip levels as best as possible.
Other areas of the bike that can be adapted to circumvent demanding weather include the suspension, which is often softened for wet weather conditions to avoid making the bike too stiff when braking. This is essential when going into turns.
How MotoGP™ riders mitigate dehydration in races
Extreme heat means rapid dehydration, especially when a rider is battling 35°C+ and humidity of over 70%, as can be the case at the Malaysian and Indonesian Grands Prix.
It’s not uncommon for a rider to lose 2-3kg in weight during a race as they sweat profusely in extremely hot conditions, and on top of an overheating motorcycle. Helmets and leathers are designed to ventilate and riders carry water in their leathers that helps them rehydrate to some extent.
But the levels of intensity mean that their concentration and focus are tested to the limit, and there can be physical effects such as cramping too.
Rider equipment is also designed to be able to withstand cold and rain. Riders have special visors for different conditions that help with repelling water and minimising condensation and fogging, and these also come with varying levels of transparency to help with the light levels that can vary between overcast weather conditions and blazing sun.
How does the weather impact MotoGP™ race strategy?
There is no way around it: weather affects MotoGP™ race strategy directly. Its impact is simply too great for riders and their teams to not plan diligently for.
Teams will analyse meteorological forecasts and data to understand as precisely as possible what the weather will be doing at the precise time the race is occurring. This can influence decisions around tyre choice, engine mapping (presets that control certain engine management aspects such as fuel delivery), and even projected bike switches mid-race.
The weather can present various scenarios which include, but are not limited to, delays in the start of a race, the shortening of a race, and the waving of the red flag.
The display of red flags by marshals under the orders of Race Direction interrupts the race immediately and can then be followed by either a shortened restarted race, or the declaration of a result depending on the number of laps already completed.
If a race is declared wet prior to the start, then the team and rider already know that they can switch between the two bikes available to the rider at any point during the race (the race is therefore under flag-to-flag conditions).
Riders may try to roughly schedule a pit stop based on projected drying of the track, but it will still come down to how the conditions play out in the moment.
If the race starts dry, the rider is only permitted to switch bikes once the white flag is waved in-race due to rain (also making it a flag-to-flag race).
Reduced visibility and grip, intense heat leading to faster tyre degradation, and all the other potential factors previously discussed will influence a team and rider’s approach to their riding style for a race, as they attempt to carefully regulate aggressive accelerations and braking and the management of fuel and tyres.
MotoGP™ safety concerns in adverse weather
With adverse weather comes an element of danger. For this reason, MotoGP™ has safety protocols in place that are activated to safeguard riders.
Declaration of a wet race is one example, where the availability of wet tyres from the start of the race is a measure to tackle the risks associated with riding on a rain-soaked track. The white flag, and its enabling of a change to a bike with wet tyres if it rains during a race, serves the same purpose.
Likewise, the red flag is used in extreme situations to stop the race - this can be for weather-related or non-weather-related incidents.
Certain technical changes are also permitted by the FIM regulations to ensure rider safety. For example, side pods are able to be removed from the aero body of the bike (this must be approved by the Technical Director) at specific circuits for safety reasons. The concession can be applied to other circuits through the season specifically for dealing with adverse weather conditions.
There are also scenarios in which an extra specification of tyre may be provided to riders at a Grand Prix, to “cover all possible track and weather conditions”.
Notable Weather-Influenced Races in MotoGP™ History
There have been plenty of Grands Prix down the years that have been significantly impacted by the weather, with rain-affected MotoGP™ races often providing some of the most entertaining but nail-biting ones.
Phillip Island has served up plenty of weather-related drama. Often a demanding circuit for riders because of the forceful, blustery winds that batter the exposed track, it was the site of the first flag-to-flag race in 2006 as the rain forced riders into pit lane to change bikes.
The Austrian Grand Prix provided a thriller of a weather-affected race in 2021 when Brad Binder won a flag-to-flag contest affected by the weather. The South African stayed out on slick tyres as the rain fell hard and his rivals all opted to head into the pit lane for bikes with wet set-ups.
Indianapolis 2008 was another Grand Prix heavily affected by the weather, as both the 125cc and MotoGP races were red flagged and declared results, before the 250cc race was cancelled altogether. Heavy rain and winds played havoc throughout the weekend, as the region battled the tail-end of a hurricane.
Fun fact: Did you know that MotoGP™ bikes can reach speeds in excess of 365km/h (226mph)? Check out this guide on how fast MotoGP™ bikes are!