The Portuguese GP saw a new era of the World Championship kick off with the first-ever Tissot Sprint taking place on Saturday afternoon. In a blockbuster race, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) flexed his strength to take the first victory of the year, battling past Jorge Martin (Prima Pramac Racing) on the last lap while poleman Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) snatched the final podium place with just a few corners remaining.
Prior to lights out on Saturday, there was plenty of intrigue surrounding the new format, and many weighed in with their opinions of how it could affect the Championship. One of those was ex-Suzuki Team Manager and current Alpine Racing Director in F1 Davide Brivio, who steered Joan Mir (Repsol Honda Team) towards a world title in 2020.
The Italian spoke to MotoGP™ Pitlane reporter Jack Appleyard, and he firmly believes that the Tissot Sprint format changes the game completely and makes Saturday a crucial day for the Championship: "It's very interesting, of course, it changes the rule of the game!"
"I think there are a lot of points on the table for Saturday, it's interesting to see. The Sprint can definitely change the outcome of the Championship. So, it's not another sport, but it's a different sport now," he said.
The Tissot Sprint, half distance of Sunday’s event, allows riders to push themselves to the limit without worrying about some issues which typically affect longer races. Brivio finds it fascinating, but he also acknowledges that MotoGP™ has always been based on longer races where riders can recover from a poor start. In the Tissot Sprint, there’s little reprieve for a poor qualifying or launch from the line.
"It's interesting to see a short race where you can play everything without worrying about tyre consumption or stuff like that. But also, let's say the MotoGP™ was based on the long distance, longer race where the rider can recover from the back or whatever. In the Sprint, the start will be very important, it will be difficult to recover, so important to qualify well, that's why it's a different game.
Brivio also notes that with all 21 rounds in this format, it is a challenge for riders and they will need to bring their A-games from the get-go: "You can't even say you're going to wait for Sunday because it could be too late, you might have already lost too many points. Of course, the fact that all races are like this is challenging, so it is interesting to see.''
Overall, the introduction of the Tissot Sprint format has elevated the excitement and competitiveness of the World Championship to a new level. With more points available on Saturdays, the Championship chase will be chock full of twists and turns, making the weekend even more thrilling for fans. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait long for the next edition of adrenaline-filled, heart-pumping action, with the Michelin Grand Prix of Argentina up this weekend!