Yeah, as I understand it the "sprint race" in WSBK was supposed to really be more a qualifier. As in it effects the starting grid for the next race that round. Not so in MotoGP. They're treating the MotoGP sprint as a race with no impact on the following race.
They could have done like BSB, where race 1 results is the grid for Race 2. I thought that was brilliant.
Oh the humanity! Not being recognized properly for a win. What will happen to the fragile ego of BB? I think he'll be ok. Just make a new category, call it a MotoGP sprint win and be done with it.
Call it a sprint win, and a gp win. It's not a Grand Prix, it's a sprint. Add another column to the record books. Why is this so hard?
The Moto2 race was shortened to 12 laps - should it not count? Should Joe Roberts get an asterisk because his win was only 7 laps? Sprints are great for the series. Count the wins and leave the hand wringing to the interwebs.
The way I look at it if everyone you're competing against is trying their best to win then beating them is a win. You've still got the best riders in the world trying to win a race. Sure, the strategy for winning a sprint is going to be different from the strategy for winning a full distance race, but that's as much part of racing as anything else. The moment everyone else decides they don't care about winning the sprint race it's fair to say it's not really a win.
I don't even know why this is a discussion. GP is short for Grand Prix, which means great prize. Binder did not win the great prize this weekend, he won a little one. Problem solved.
IMO, the number of laps is irrelevant. Everyone did the same number of laps, in the same conditions. If you finished first, that is a win. Saying it doesn’t count as a win is nonsense IMO. It doesn’t matter if it is 12 laps, 25 laps, or 50 laps. You train, develop the bike, strategize, and race accordingly. If you finished first, then it is a win. I think this sprint race is awesome, especially because many times MotoGP gets boring after the halfway point.
Because as soon as Ducati is no longer dominating, they'll axe the sprint races. So, they're just temporary.