MotoGP British GP: Friday Format to be Tweaked Ahead of Silverstone Race

For the Silverstone round of the 2023 season, MotoGP has stated that the weekend schedule for the MotoGP class would be altered. The new weekend format was agreed upon and accepted by the Grand Prix Commission (GPC) after being voted on by all MotoGP class teams. The new format is a departure from the 'pre-qualifying' system that has been in place since 2012, in which the best 10 riders from all of free practice automatically progress to Q2, while the remaining riders compete for the top two spots in Q1. The MotoGP teams "unanimously agreed" to the decision "in electronic meetings held in July 2023." It should be well-received by riders, who traditionally have not liked having to rush to put on a new set of soft tyres in the last minutes of the first practice session in order to set an 'insurance' lap time in case the second session is slower than the first.

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MotoGP British GP: What are the Changes?

Despite Ducati's objections, the Grand Prix Commission has announced that the 2023 MotoGP format would be revised beginning with the British race at Silverstone. 

What was once "Practise 1" at the start of 2023 is now "Free Practise 1," and no longer counts towards "pre-qualifying" for Q1 and Q2. This implies that the Friday afternoon session is now the sole timed session that counts for Q1/Q2 seeding, and thus the Saturday morning session is now known as "Free Practise 2."

So, here is how the new MotoGP practice format breaks down for your convenience:

Friday

• Free Practice 1 (45 minutes)
• Practice (60 minutes)

Saturday

• Free Practice 2 (30 minutes)
• Qualifying 1 (15 minutes)
• Qualifying 2 (15 minutes)
• Sprint Race

Sunday

• Warm-up
• Race

Starting with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on August 4-6, 2023, the new weekend format will be in effect for the MotoGP World Championship.

In theory, this means fewer accidents, since riders won't be as motivated to try to set a fast lap in the last seconds of Free Practise 1 if the track conditions are less than ideal. Stability in both sessions may be improved by laying additional rubber on the racing line during practice. 

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MotoGP: The Silverstone Circuit 

In 2010, the British Motorcycle Grand Prix moved to Silverstone. The Home of British Motorsport is a world-class track because of its amazing high-speed turns.

As an air force station during the war, this course is rather flat. Corners like Copse, Maggots-Becketts-Chapel, and Stowe make it everything but simple.