The new half-distance Sprints have been added to the Saturday schedule to liven up the show, a tactic that Simoncelli believes💮🔴 worked well at the Portimao season-opener.

“An interesting, atypical, sometimes explosive MotoGP (in every sense) a MotoGP like we've ne❀ver seen it, where everything is geared towards the show,” Simoncelli wrote in his .

“Everything evolves, even the introduction oꦺf the much talked about sprint race, in my opinion has done its duty, that is to ওkeep the viewer's attention high. Original and alternative, a full-fledged show, just what was needed.

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“Obviously there are some things to fix and others to settle; something more could be granted to the minor categories given that the new format means that MotoGP riders 🅰are busy all day long.”

The in🐠tensity created by the Sprint has come und🌃er fire from some MotoGP riders and teams, but Simoncelli signed off by indicating that his son, who revelled in hard racing, would have enjoyed the cut and thrust:

“I liked the fierce spirit that I saw in the Sprint race, I know someone who would have had a lot of fun, even if that time [hard passes] were considered excessive🌄 manoeuvrers and at the limit...”