Alex Marquez has warned MotoGP risks damaging the careers of its future stars by placing increasingly heavy demands on riders.
The Gresini rider believes the amount of high-intensity track time has become excessive, with the championship continuing to pursue changes designed to improve the spectacle. His comments come after six of MotoGP’s 22 full-time riders were declared unfit during the Australian Grand Prix weekend, four of them because of injuries.
MotoGP introduced Sprint races at every Grand Prix in 2023, significantly increasing the amount of competitive running across a season, while further changes are planned for 2027.
Marquez calls for MotoGP to protect young riders
Marquez believes the additional track action inevitably creates greater risk, particularly as bikes become faster and riders spend more time pushing at the limit. The 30-year-old said the issue was less about protecting established riders such as himself and more about safeguarding younger competitors including Pedro Acosta and Fermin Aldeguer.
He argued MotoGP needs to create stars capable of sustaining long careers rather than placing so many demands on riders that their time at the top is shortened.
Marquez has previously called for the number of Sprint races to be substantially reduced, suggesting six or seven per season would be preferable to holding one at every round. His warning comes as MotoGP heads to Sepang for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix, with the championship entering its decisive final rounds and rider workload again under scrutiny.
Source: Motorsport.com
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