Marquez Blasts MotoGP Officials: “We Have to Keep Quiet”

The MotoGP championship is entering the thick of the fight for the world title, with Aprilia and Ducati battling for the crown. But for several days now, attention has also been focused on the new format that will come into effect from the first race of 2027. Marc Marquez and his brother Alex are strongly opposed to it, and they have made their views crystal clear in front of the media...

A new generation of MotoGP prototypes will arrive next year, featuring 850cc engines, a new tyre supplier, less aerodynamics, “green” fuels and more. There will also be significant changes to the organisation of the Grands Prix. On this point, the Cervera champion has been particularly tough and direct. The issue does not seem to be adapting to a different way of working. Marquez has been doing that all his life. What he cannot understand is why there was a need to impose additional demands on the riders.

The main innovation will be a separate qualifying session for the Sprint race. Until now, Saturday’s qualifying session determined the starting grids for both the Sprint and Sunday’s race. From 2027, however, there will be a separate qualifying session for each race. The new Sprint qualifying session will take place on Friday and last 15 minutes. Before that, there will be a 45-minute FP1 and a 30-minute FP2. Saturday will be reserved for the other sessions, including qualifying, which will determine the starting grid for the Grand Prix, followed by the Sprint race itself.

Sunday will also undergo changes. The traditional MotoGP warm-up session will no longer be a separate event and will be replaced by a ten-minute period before the race, allowing riders to go out on track and check their bikes. On paper, it might seem like nothing more than a schedule change. For the riders, however, it means much more. Every session matters, and especially in MotoGP, taking to the track for qualifying means being ready to push hard from the very first minute.

For this reason, Marc Marquez does not understand the changes. When asked about the new format, the Ducati rider was very cool about it. "It is interesting to understand what the main objective of this change is, because for the rider it simply means that everything will be more intense and more demanding". He also believes that the current calendar is already demanding enough. "The current calendar is sufficient. But we are not the ones who decide. That is how things are, and we have to keep quiet".

These words resonated throughout the MotoGP paddock in Mandalika. His statements have already gone around the world, with the organisers trying to pour water on the flames. Finally, the reigning champion doubled down: "The teams and the organisation are the ones who decide. So you either accept it or you don’t. That’s it".

Pedro Acosta, Marc Marquez’s future teammate at Ducati, also pointed out how the growing demands could shorten riders’ careers. The Cervera phenomenon seized on the point: "I completely agree with him".

His younger brother Alex Marquez, rider for the Gresini team, expressed a similar view. "It will not change the decisions if we express our opinion on this. It is simply a matter of accepting it or leaving the MotoGP World Championship. We will spend more time on the tracks, and there will also be more risk. That’s how it is; we have to accept it, and there is not much we can do".

Alex Marquez highlighted how difficult it is to find a common denominator among the riders in the premier class. "It is impossible to put 22 athletes on the same page. There will always be differing opinions. There is always a certain amount of pressure from the manufacturers in one direction or another. We all have our contracts, and that makes things rather difficult. If you change the format, you have to do it before the contracts are signed".

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