Sprint races are now a regular part of each Grand Prix weekend for the second season. And at last Saturday’s Spanish GP, there was a record number of retirements in the shorter races of the weekend.
In a Grand Prix where three wildcard riders competed, there were nine retirements in the Sprint race. There were numerous crashes, with the damp Jerez asphalt posing a challenge. In fact, there could have been at least one more retirement: Marc Márquez (Gresini/Ducati) crashed while leading but managed to recover and finished sixth.
Only 16 of the 25 riders who started managed to finish. Despite the record number of retirements, it wasn’t the Sprint race with the fewest finishers: that was at last year’s Indian GP, with just 15 riders crossing the finish line.
Previously, the maximum number of retirements in a Sprint race had been six, also at the Indian round in 2023. In Portugal last year, there were five retirements and one absence due to injury for Pol Espargaró.
On the other hand, there were three Sprint races last year where all the riders finished: the British GP, the Malaysian GP, and the San Marino GP, where one rider failed to qualify for the races.
2023:
Portuguese GP: 16 (5 DNF and one rider absent due to injury)
Argentine GP: 16 (2 DNF)
GP of the Americas: 20 (2 DNF)
Spanish GP: 19 (4 DNF)
France GP: 17 (4 DNF)
Italian GP: 21 (2 DNF)
German GP: 18 (2 DNF)
Dutch TT: 22 (1 DNF)
British GP: 22 (0 DNF)
Austrian GP: 17 (6 DNF)
Catalan GP: 21 (1 DNF)
San Marino GP: 23 (1 DNQ)
Indian GP: 15 (6 DNF)
Japan GP: 20 (1 DNF)
Indonesian GP: 19 (2 DNF)
Thai GP: 19 (2 DNF)
Malaysian GP: 23 (0 DNF)
Qatar GP: 20 (2 DNF)
Valencia GP: 20 (1 DNF)
2024:
Qatar GP: 21 (1 DNF)
Portuguese GP: 18 (4 DNF)
GP of the Americas: 17 (5 DNF)
Spanish GP: 16 (9 DNF)