MotoGP sets 22-race limit from 2022, Spain, Portugal could rotate

MotoGP will host a maximum of 22 races per season between 2022 to 2026 with the Spanish rounds and rumoured Portuguese round potentially sharing a host rotation deal, Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta has confirmed.

Following the announcement of the provisional 2020 MotoGP calendar which expands to 20 races due to the arrival of the new Finnish round, the sport bosses have begun to outline the future picture of the race calendar for the next phase of agreements.

Ezpeleta has confirmed the maximum number of races permitted per season for 2020 and 2021 is 20 and will increase to a maximum of 22 rounds per season from 2022 thanks to an agreement with manufacturers and teams.

But with four races in Spain – Jerez, Catalunya, Aragon and Valencia – plus Portugal’s Portimao all interested in hosting MotoGP rounds, Ezpeleta has ruled out all five venues being on the calendar together if current arrangements remain unchanged.

“The only way to accept the new countries which request to join is to reduce the number of races in the places we have more,” Ezpeleta said. “Portugal requested the possibility to have a GP.

“Maybe some of the GPs in Spain do not want to continue then it reduces the problem. We talked with Portugal and they already agreed if they have to have three GPs every five years it is okay for them. They would prefer to have one every year but that is the situation.

“We cannot concentrate in a region, almost 25% of the races in the championship, and for that we decided the best way is a rotation.

“We can do it another way, like a tender and say who is paying more and do that, but we will not do that. We will first talk to the people to see if they are interested or not to continue with this situation.

“If this is the situation we think the best way to do it is to make a rotation between the five GPs in the Iberian Peninsula. Every circuit will have three races in five years but this is the case if anything stays as proposed.”

“From 2022 to 2026, the maximum number of races will be 22” 

Dorna Sports CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta, explains future plans for the #MotoGP World Championship #SanMarinoGP  pic.twitter.com/FR1OLbbq8I

— MotoGP™  (@MotoGP) September 14, 2019

The MotoGP chief also underlined Italy will retain two races, run under the Italian Grand Prix and San Marino Grand Prix titles, given the overwhelming interest and investment in the sport from the country.

“We have four GPs in Spain, two in Italy and the rest of the countries have one,” he said. “Of course maintaining two GPs in Italy is something that is an aim for everybody. Two of the manufacturers are based in Italy, many of the teams are based in Italy and we will maintain two GPs in Italy.

“Right now we have a contract with Indonesia [starting in 2021] as previously announced and this is the only thing I can explain. The rest is with countries who are in contact with us, but until the contract is signed we will not announce it.”

While Formula 1 assesses the possibility of expanding its current race calendar to 25 races in the future, having reached 22 races for 2020, MotoGP will stick to a maximum of 22 races by only adding races to replace others which drop off.

MotoGP is also expected to reduce its overall official test schedule in order to restrain costs while also not congesting the calendar.

“Everybody knows there is a lot of interest from many countries to host MotoGP,” Ezpeleta explained. “Some of these countries are very important for the industry, especially in the South Asian region, and it is for that reason we are considering.

“Obviously the calendar cannot be unlimited. In our first year in 1992 the calendar was 13 Grand Prix and next year it will be 20.”