What the hell happened at the Brazilian Grand Prix? The weekend at the Autodromo Internacional de Goiania – Ayrton Senna was so highly anticipated, but between factors that were out of the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group’s control, and factors that were absolutely in its control, it seems like the race should’ve been called off at worst, or at the very least handled much better by the organizers.
Torrential rain almost put a stop to the Brazilian MotoGP before it started. But a circuit crew working overtime managed to get the surface pools of water off the track just in time for racing. But the rain was just the start of the Brazilian MotoGP madness, as the track was in terrible condition after things dried up, and continued to get worse over the weekend with some riders commenting that the track was changing color as it was essentially coming apart.
A massive sinkhole appeared along the main straightaway, delaying the whole schedule while it was extensively repaired. But that sinkhole was indicative of the whole track, which was degrading from session to session.
On Friday, there were a total of nine crashes at turn 4, but on Saturday, there were 32 on the same corner. If folks weren’t sure whether the track was getting more dangerous to ride, this stat would’ve helped clarify. But it was through turns 11 and 12 that the riders got hurt the most, although not due to crashing.
During the Moto2 and Moto3 races, the surface around turns 11-12 began to come apart. The debris was launched from the rear tires of bikes and hit riders behind, resulting in a nasty finger injury for Álex Rins, which was so bad that he thought it might have been broken. Álex Márquez was another notable rider who was struck by a lot of debris, which left marks on his arms, but he wasn’t alone, as plenty of riders had cuts and bruises from being pelted with loose asphalt. But still, things get worse.
The state of the track after the Moto3 and Moto2 races was so bad on Sunday that the race distance was shortened from 31 to 23 laps so that the track essentially wouldn’t come apart. Conveniently, this meant the race would count as a full race that awarded full championship points because riders would complete 75% of the regular race distance. But the worst aspect of the Brazilian MotoGP is yet to come.
Instead of telling the riders that they were only racing 75% of the full race distance before they came out, MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group decided to tell them one by one, starting from the top of the grid to the back. This gave riders, like Pedro Acosta, a chance to switch to a softer compound tire before the race start, but left riders at the back with no time to make changes for the new race distance.
This is the pinnacle of motorcycle racing in 2026, folks.
Remember that the officials could’ve delayed the start of the race without affecting TV coverage, since the race was only 21 laps. So why did they inform riders in such an unfair and unusual way? Conspiracy theorists might think that MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group wouldn’t like all the riders in the same room discussing that they can’t race the full distance because the track is coming apart and the bikes are turning the surface into bullets, with the potential to break fingers. That would be a conspiracy, though, right?
There were no major injuries, and I think that’s why we haven’t heard much protesting from the riders, because riders criticising MotoGP safety is historically a no-no. But if someone were to get injured, I think the whole grid would be a lot more vocal about what went on in Brazil. Hell, MotoGP even had to launch an investigation into it, even without anyone being seriously injured.
I’m hopeful that the investigation will help make the event safe for 2027 because the racing was good, and it’s great to have that iconic track back on the calendar. MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group to ensure that the circuit is safe next year, unfortunately, that’s also when the body needs to ensure that the Adelaide street Circuit is safe, and after what happened last weekend, I feel slightly more anxious about the Australian round in 2027.
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