There are three years left for the new technical regulations of MotoGP to come into effect. It will be a set of several new rules that will decisively influence the performance of the motorcycles. Currently, there are several criticized aspects that divide opinions – such as the increasingly abundant aerodynamic innovations (some of them bizarre) or the quantity of technological devices on the bikes like holeshot or ride height devices.
Despite the balance in terms of absolute performance, the truth is that nowadays the starting position in MotoGP is increasingly predominant – the aerodynamic war has also made it more difficult to engage in direct fights and make overtakes during races. And there are those who warn against making the same mistakes as Formula 1 in this regard. When something is not as good as it could be, it changes. But why does MotoGP wait until 2027 to introduce new regulations when the current trend has already started some time ago? Here are three essential factors for this.
- First of all, there is the issue of contracts. The championship organization has binding agreements with the teams and cannot make changes whenever or however it wants – in many cases, teams and constructors have to «give the green light». The current contracts of the teams and manufacturers expire at the end of 2026.
- On the other hand, nothing happens overnight. Therefore, and as a regulatory cycle is meant to last a long time, everything has to be regulated in a very analyzed and pondered way, in a process that takes time. And it can involve not only the current constructors but also «sounding out» other brands to know what could interest them. Similarly, it takes time to develop a motorcycle almost from scratch as it will be the case in 2027 – everything indicates that even the engines will be different, with the displacement reducing to 850cc.
- Changes in rules do not necessarily have a good impact on races immediately. In fact, stability and freezing promote a more balanced and fierce field thanks to convergence. If the rules are always changing, those with more resources can always maintain a decisive advantage.
As is natural, there are some adjustments in the rules more regularly, even to cover possible «grey areas» or to intervene immediately in aspects that jeopardize safety. And sporting regulations can also be adjusted more frequently, as was the case with the introduction of Sprint races in 2023 and the new concession system in 2024. But making technical regulations from scratch is a different, more radical type of change, which is why it takes more years until it is actually possible to change the rules.