Marini criticises the race calendar: “No time to improve physically”

According to the official MotoGP contract, the racing calendar for the Road Racing World Championship is set at 22 events. In reality, however, it looks increasingly likely that the 2026 season will feature just 21 rounds. Background: The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to cast doubt on whether the Qatar Desert GP – which has already been postponed from April to November – will go ahead. SPEEDWEEK.com recently reported on the current state of affairs.

Even with 21 events, there’s no risk of boredom. On the last day of February, the drivers took to the track for the first time at a race event of the current season. The 2026 season will conclude on 29 November in Valencia – where, just two days later, the 2027 season will be kicked off with the Valencia test. Then it’s off into the winter break – though it only partly lives up to its name. In the last week of January, the team will already be heading back to Malaysia to spend a week testing the 2027 cars in tropical conditions. Three days of shakedown with test drivers and rookies, three days of fine-tuning lap times with all the regular drivers – that’s the well-established ritual.

The winter break ends at the end of January

The action continues with around 10 days’ break in Thailand for another – and final – test before the start of the season, also in Buriram. Before that, it’s time to jet off – without the leather suits – to the official ‘kick-off’ of the World Championship; the new era will be celebrated for the first time in Brazil, with the aim of generating maximum attention for the two races in South America.

If Honda works rider Luca Marini has his way, the sheer number of events isn’t the biggest problem; rather, it’s about the timing of the calendar. In a one-on-one conversation with SPEEDWEEK.com, Marini outlined his view: “For me, the schedule throughout the year isn’t ideal. I think we should schedule the races closer together and, in return, try to create a longer break in the winter.”

The Italian went on to say: “For one thing, I enjoy the time in the paddock; during the racing season, it’s perfect to always be there. I’d love to spend more time here if it meant we had a proper break in winter. The fact is – at the moment we have no time at all. Neither to really recover, nor – more importantly – any time at all to prepare specifically for the next season; there’s no time to keep improving.”

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Zuletzt wieder bester Honda-Pilot: Luca Marini

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Marini, currently in advanced negotiations with Tech3 and KTM for a MotoGP ride from 2027, continued: “With the current calendar, there’s no break at all. I train all year round. With the current schedule, it’s not possible to do nothing for even a moment. I need all my energy to be ready – but I’d love to have more time to work through old injuries more thoroughly, for example. I’d also like to improve physically from season to season, but that requires time for specific physiotherapy programmes.”

Theory and practice: the racing calendar is at its limit

This is understandable from the athletes’ perspective. From an organisational point of view, however, significantly compressing the racing calendar seems virtually impossible. Whilst it is possible to stage races ‘back-to-back’, a weekly race schedule would not be feasible in the case of MotoGP. As early as 2026, eight events will take place in quick succession. Added to this is the issue of injured riders. If, in theory, all events were to be held at weekly intervals, the system for replacement riders would have to be rethought. Even today, it is virtually impossible to recruit available and suitable top riders, regardless of the class.

That said, MotoGP itself has recognised that the planned 22 MotoGP events are pushing the limits, as the quality standards of this growing racing series must not be compromised.