Jerez MotoGP Saturday Subscriber Notes: Flag-To-Flag Drama, And What The Rules Really Say About Entering Pit Lane Across The Grass

Jerez MotoGP Saturday Subscriber Notes: Flag-To-Flag Drama, And What The Rules Really Say About Entering Pit Lane Across The Grass

I love flag-to-flag races. They create drama, excitement, and throw the entire MotoGP grid a curveball. They allow riders to overcome bike deficits, and they give them a chance to gamble. Come in early, change to wets, and be gapping the field once they are forced to come in and change. Or go in late, and bet on it not raining as hard as others fear, and try to open a big enough gap to keep your lead when you have to come in. And really get luck if it stays dry enough.

It is safer than the old way of doing it. Red flagging a race and then restarting is twice the risk of a normal race, given that the start is by far the most dangerous part of any race. Sending 22 riders (or usually fewer, if a couple have crashed out earlier) barreling into the first corner all together is always a massive risk. Better to give the riders control over the risk, let them sort it out. If they have made it to MotoGP, they should be smart enough to handle those decisions.

David Emmett

Sat, 25/Apr/2026 – 23:49

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