How Does MotoGP™ Qualifying Affect the Race?

MotoGP™ races are intense, action-packed events in which every moment counts. One of the most important factors in a rider’s chances of success is their starting position on the grid.

A rider’s proximity to the front of the starting grid often correlates strongly to their race result.

Unlike longer or endurance motorsports events where a rider (or driver) has time to work through the field and even make pit stops, the compact nature of both the race distance and number of riders on track in MotoGP™ mean a rider’s qualifying performance can heavily influence the fine line between what’s considered a successful weekend, or one to forget.

So, exactly how does MotoGP™ qualifying affect the race? In this article we will discuss how qualifying works, the challenges faced by riders in qualifying sessions, what can influence a starting position, why it matters so much, and more.

How MotoGP™ Qualifying Works

It’s important to understand the MotoGP™ qualifying format and how it works, in order to then explore how it influences a race and its results.

In this complete guide to MotoGP™ qualifying you’ll find a comprehensive breakdown of all the details involved, but here is a simple reminder of the format of a Grand Prix weekend and how qualifying fits into proceedings:

It is important to note that in MotoGP™, a rider’s qualifying performance dictates their starting position on the grid for both the Sprint on Saturday, and the race on Sunday. Their Sprint race result bears no impact on their starting position for Sunday’s race.

While Q2 determines the starting positions for positions 1 to 12 on the grid, the riders who did not progress from Q1 to Q2 occupy positions 13 onwards on the grid based on their Q1 performance.

A rider’s fastest lap in the respective session they contested is the ranking factor for their final qualifying - and therefore, starting grid - position.

Another important element of the MotoGP™ qualifying format is the way the riders line up on the grid: in rows of three. Unless altered by any penalties, row one comprises the riders who qualified in the top three positions, row two is made up of qualifying positions four to six, row three of seventh to ninth in qualifying, and so on.

The introduction of the MotoGP™ Sprint on Saturdays from the start of the 2023 season has added even greater significance and importance to qualifying. With two points-scoring races per Grand Prix weekend now happening, riders know that a preferable starting slot is crucial to their prospects.

You can read more on Sprint races, and how they work, in this handy guide.

Why a good qualifying position matters in MotoGP™

Qualifying performance goes a long way towards deciding the outcome of the Grand Prix weekend for a rider, so a strong MotoGP™ qualifying strategy is highly important. But why?

First of all, the closer a rider is to the front of the grid, the less traffic they have in front of them. With fewer riders to overtake, the chances of gaining points is greater. Likewise, fewer riders in front means less chances of a crash or other unfortunate mishap which can easily derail a rider’s race.

Aside from the prestige of achieving pole position, being at the very front of the grid means a higher likelihood of leading into the first turn.

This can often be a pinch point where riders make contact, as a large number of bikes attempt to filter through and gain early advantages. Of course, there is also the risk that a rider can be hit from behind in this scenario.

It’s not only being towards the front of the grid that can make an impression, but the lateral spread also matters. That’s to say, depending on the location of the starting grid on a particular track, there may be one side of the track which is more used than the other and therefore has more tyre wear - and consequently grip - on it. This can mean that riders on one side of the track may get slightly better grip when launching their start off the grid. Every marginal gain counts in MotoGP™.

Starting position doesn’t only affect a rider’s approach to the very start of the race, as it can also dictate to some extent their full-race strategy. Tyres are where this is most keenly felt.

A rider at the front of the grid can expect to experience less tyre wear during a race than one starting further back and needing to ride more aggressively in a bid to overtake more riders. This degrades tyres much faster and is one of the major strategic points of consideration in MotoGP™.

The same logic is applied to fuel consumption too, because the harder a rider has to push, the faster their bike uses up the limited fuel supply it can carry.

Tyre selection in qualifying itself is also very important as the choice of tyre compound will have an impact on a rider’s fastest lap time. Usually riders will go with the softest option in their tyre allocation as they bid for a fast lap. This is an area of optimisation that teams focus on in qualifying as well as in the race.

Aside from tyre choice, the timing of the moment to head out on track to avoid “traffic” or follow another rider (within the rules) and to help judge fastest lines, entry and exit points and braking markers, are also tactical moves employed.

Common Mistakes and Challenges in Qualifying

As well as missing the mark with timing of a “hot lap run”, there are other perilous situations riders can find themselves in and which can affect their qualifying.

The most common is exceeding track limits, and this happens when a rider goes outside of what is defined - by the FIM race stewards - as the track limits.

An example of this was the Japanese Grand Prix in 2024 when Marc Márquez set a time in qualifying that secured him pole position, only to have the lap cancelled after a review confirmed he had exceeded track limits.

More information on track limits, and how they are applied in the race, can be found here.

Real-World Examples of Qualifying Impacting MotoGP™ Races

Qualifying’s role in race results in MotoGP™ is undeniable. A statistic from the 2024 season highlights this: every MotoGP™ race that year was won by a rider starting from the front three rows of the grid (positions one to nine). Wins from the back of the grid are rare, and usually require some kind of intervention from the weather to mix up conditions.

The previous season, Aleix Espargaró’s victory from 12th on the grid at the British Grand Prix made him the rider to win from the lowest starting position in the dry since Marco Melandri did so from 14th at the 2006 Turkish Grand Prix.

Also, the MotoGP™ starting grid’s impact on a race result was seen clearly in the season finale at Valencia in 2015. Valentino Rossi led Jorge Lorenzo in the championship standings by seven points before the final GP.

However, due to a penalty from the previous race in Malaysia, Rossi had to start from last position on the grid: 26th. Lorenzo started from pole, and won the race, with Rossi finishing fourth after an incredible ride, but ultimately losing the championship by just five points to his Spanish rival.

How Weather and Track Conditions Affect Qualifying

Rain, wind and notable temperature changes have all influenced qualifying sessions down the years.

A wet track is perhaps the most frequent of the weather challenges faced by riders in qualifying. Pushing hard on wet tyres for a fast lap time can result in a number of unpredictable outcomes, which in turn can lead to a switched up grid.

There are also occasions when qualifying is cancelled due to the weather, and the starting grid formed from the fastest lap times across combined practice sessions. This happened at the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix in 2017, while at the Australian Grand Prix in 2019, qualifying was moved to Sunday morning from the originally scheduled Saturday afternoon due to strong winds.

Qualifying is a focal point of the Grand Prix weekend

From tyre selection to strategic decisions on when to go for a fast lap in qualifying, through to external influences such as the weather, there are many factors when it comes to how MotoGP™ qualifying affects the race.

One thing is very clear: that a well-planned and strongly-executed qualifying session can be a major shaper of a race, and that qualifying is a focal point of the Grand Prix weekend as both a performance and entertainment element.

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