No one wants to distract a racer, especially when they're hitting some of the speeds that MotoGP racers do on the regular.
We are, after all, talking about a series where bikes can hit speeds of 350 kilometers per hour (or 217-ish miles per hour). There's a reason why pit boards have long been standard equipment for racers in multiple series, including MotoGP. But at the same time, there comes a point where it's more difficult (and arguably distracting) to take your eyes away for a split second and see what that pit board is trying to tell you.
That can be a problem when something serious happens elsewhere on track, and race direction (or your own team) needs to tell you about it as quickly as possible.
For years, racers and MotoGP race direction have gone back and forth about improving communication during the race. Radios have been tested before, but discarded for reasons not made totally clear in a public-facing way.
Around 2016, a short series of dashboard display messages started to come into common use, and that's what's been standard up to the present. But if you've been paying attention to other forms of racing, you've probably wondered at least once why radio comms in MotoGP aren't already a thing. After all, isn't this supposed to be the pinnacle of international motorcycle racing?
During the 2024 MotoGP racing weekend at Misano, series rights-holder Dorna held a meeting announcing the introduction of radio communication into the sport.
As our colleagues at Motorsport.com reported, the rollout will come in phases, beginning in 2025. To start, only the race director will be able to communicate directly with riders. But over time, possibly starting as soon as 2026, the communication ability will become two-way.
That means racers and their teams will potentially be able to communicate back and forth. While no one wants to distract racers, this could potentially up the entertainment factor for MotoGP event broadcasts. If you've been watching Formula One since team radio transmissions started becoming regular parts of broadcasts, you're probably already nodding your head in agreement. Just ask Kimi "Leave Me Alone, I Know What I'm Doing" Raikkonen.
Do you think the advent of radio comms in MotoGP is long overdue? Or do you see such systems having a negative impact on the sport, or something else entirely? In any case, let us know your thoughts in the comments.
