Luca Marini says MotoGP calendar leaves riders with no time to recover or improve physically

Luca Marini has added his voice to the growing debate over MotoGP’s race calendar, arguing that the current scheduling leaves riders with “zero time” to recover and to build their bodies for the next season.

According to the official MotoGP contract framework, the championship calendar is set at 22 events, but Speedweek reports that the reality for 2026 is closer to a 21-round campaign. A key uncertainty remains the Qatar Grand Prix, with the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continuing to cast doubt over whether the desert race can still be held. Qatar was already moved from April to November.

Even with 21 events, Marini says the problem isn’t the number of races—it’s the rhythm. In a conversation with Speedweek, the Honda factory rider said he believes the races should be brought closer together while creating a larger, more meaningful window in winter.

“For me, the way the year is laid out isn’t ideal,” Marini said. “I think we should bring the races closer together and, for that, try to create a bigger window in winter.”

He then explained what that would mean in practice. Marini said he enjoys being in the paddock during the season, but would like more time there if the calendar also offered a genuine break in winter.

“The fact is—today we have zero time,” he continued. “And not only to really recover, but more importantly, there’s no time to prepare ourselves specifically for the next season. There’s no time to keep improving.”

Marini also linked the issue to his longer-term physical preparation. He is currently in advanced talks with Tech3 and KTM about a MotoGP ride from 2027, and he argued that with the current calendar there is no real off period to focus on recovery and targeted training.

“With the current calendar there’s no break,” he said. “I train the whole year. It’s not possible with the current planning to do nothing. I need all my energy to be ready—but I would like more time to, for example, train old injuries more specifically. I’d also like to be able to improve physically from season to season, but to do that you need time for specific physio programmes.”

Speedweek also contextualised the athletes’ perspective by noting the logistical constraints facing organisers. While MotoGP can stage races back-to-back, a strict weekly cadence across the entire calendar is not considered feasible. The publication points out that in 2026 there are eight events scheduled consecutively, and that the presence of injured riders complicates matters further. If every round were compressed into a one-week rhythm, the system for replacement riders would likely need to be rethought.

Speedweek adds that even today it can be difficult to recruit available and suitable top-level riders across categories, which makes further compression even harder.

Despite those challenges, the magazine notes that MotoGP itself appears to recognise the limits: the championship has acknowledged that planned 22 MotoGP events are essentially at the maximum, with the aim of protecting the quality of the racing spectacle as the sport’s profile continues to grow.

Looking at the 2026 timeline, the season begins with the first on-track action for the year on the last day of February. It is scheduled to finish in Valencia on 29 November, with the 2027 season then kicked off two days later via the Valencia test. After that, the winter break is described as only partially living up to its name: in the final week of January, the paddock is set to travel to Malaysia for a week of testing with the 2027 machinery in tropical conditions. The routine includes three days of shake-down work with testers and rookies, followed by three days of time-attack preparation with all regular riders.

From there, the next test phase is expected to follow with roughly a 10-day gap in Thailand, described as the final test before the season start in Buriram. Before the official championship kick-off, the riders are also set to travel without leathers for the event’s opening, with the new era reportedly beginning in Brazil and aimed at drawing maximum attention for the two races in South America.

For Marini, however, the key takeaway remains unchanged: regardless of how the calendar is structured, he believes riders need a real winter window to recover and to run specific physical and medical programmes—something he says the current schedule does not provide.