The 2023 MotoGP season had six riders enter selected grands prix as a wildcard entry, which is a concept that has a long history in the series.
It dates back to the early years of grand prix motorcycling, when teams would enter a local rider for the race due to their greater knowledge of the circuit.
Steve Manship is one of the best wildcard entries in history, as the Briton finished second at the 1978 British Grand Prix which was his only race that year.
But over time, the wildcard system has evolved so what does it mean now and how do teams use it across the season?
A MotoGP wildcard is a rider who enters a grand prix despite not being a full-time competitor for the season. In the modern day, if a team was to use a wildcard then it tends to enter its test rider despite the championship’s history of local riders entering a grand prix.
Many benefits come from MotoGP teams entering a wildcard as it increases track time, which is important because there are only nine official testing days during the year meaning feedback from the rider can prove crucial for bike development.
But it is rare for teams to use all of its wildcard slots in a season, as Yamaha only entered test rider Cal Crutchlow for one race – the Japanese GP - in 2023 despite all of the benefits. This is largely for financial reasons as it is expensive to run a MotoGP bike, so the more that get entered for a grand prix the more money it will obviously cost.
Source: Autosport