MotoGP announces 2023 provisional calendar

Series owners Dorna Sports have announced several new-race deals in recent weeks that will swell the calendar to 22 rounds from 2023.

On Friday it was confirmed that the Indian Grand Prix would be added to the schedule for next year, which is thought to have delayed the release of the new calendar owing to the revisions its addition necessitated.

Last week MotoGP also announced a new five-year deal to bring Kazakhstan onto the calendar from 2023 at the Sokol Circuit – though both it and India’s Buddh circuit need to be homologated.

Should both races take place, it will ensure 2023 is MotoGP’s longest season to date.

Swelling the calendar further is the addition of sprint races at every grand prix in 2023, which will mean 42 races across a 21-round season.

As part of the changes to the calendar, one of the biggest omissions is the absence of the Aragon GP, which was thought to be the fifth round of 2023 before India’s deal was confirmed.

The four Spanish races and the Portuguese GP have been signed to deals which means all five of those circuits – Aragon, Jerez, Catalunya, Valencia and Portimao – can be rotated.

The 2023 season will start later than normal on 26 March in Portugal, after the traditional season-opener in Qatar had to be scrapped as the Losail Circuit undergoes major upgrade works in anticipation of Formula 1’s return next year.

Joan Mir, Team Suzuki MotoGP leads start

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

MotoGP will then continue to Argentina one week later in a surprising grouping given the logistical hurdles that have been faced with getting freight overseas in 2022.

A two-week gap splits Argentina and Austin, before MotoGP comes back to Europe with the Spanish GP at Jerez on 30 April.

The French GP takes place on 14 May before the first triple-header of the year of Italy, Germany, Netherlands on 11, 18 and 25 June.

The Kazakhstan GP takes the now-axed Finland’s original slot on 9 July before a three-week summer break, with the season resuming on 6 August with the British GP and Austrian GP on 20 August.

With Formula 1 taking Catalunya’s June slot, the Catalan GP is now on 3 September and is back-to-back with the San Marino GP at Misano.

MotoGP has grouped all of its Asia-Pacific flyaways together to ostensibly reduce the series’ carbon footprint.

The Indian GP is slated for 24 September, with the Japanese GP at Motegi the following week on 1 October.

The Indonesian GP has been moved from March to 15 October and starts the second triple-header backed with Australia and Thailand on 22 October and 29 October.

The final three rounds in Malaysia, Qatar and Valencia are also a triple-header, beginning on 12 November and ending on 26 November – the latest a MotoGP season has finished.

2023 MotoGP provisional calendar
Portugal – 26 March
Argentina – 2 April
Americas – 16 April
Spain – 30 April
France – 14 May
Italy – 11 June
Germany – 18 June
Netherlands – 25 June
Kazakhstan - 9 July (subject to homologation)
Great Britain – 6 August
Austria – 20 August
Catalunya – 3 September
San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini – 10 September
India – 24 September (subject to homologation)
Japan – 1 October
Indonesia – 15 October
Australia – 22 October
Thailand – 29 October
Malaysia – 12 November
Qatar – 19 November (night race)
Valencia – 26 November