MotoGP riders have voiced their disapproval of plans that could leave them with just one fully assembled bike from the 2027 season.
Earlier this month, Motorsport reported that MotoGP is seriously evaluating the possibility of amending the sporting regulations and reducing the number of bikes available to each rider from two to one.
The initiative was put forward by manufacturers as a cost-cutting measure and would bring the premier class in line with Moto2, Moto3 and Formula 1, which banned spare cars as early as 2008.
Having a second bike allows teams to perform direct comparison between two different set-ups and aero packages, while also enabling riders to quickly return to the track after crashes or technical problems.
Most recently, KTM rider Pedro Acosta was able to take the restart in this month’s Catalan GP after encountering a technical issue on his primary bike, which triggered the first red flag.
Asked for his thoughts about the proposed rule, the Spaniard highlighted the possible consequences it could have on riders’ participation in a grand prix weekend.
“It’s a really bad idea,” he said. “I understand that the championship and the brands want to make the costs go down. But this means that if you crash in warm-up, you will not race. If you crash in PR [practice], you will not make it to qualifying.
“If you crash in FP1 – which is quite easy, because you are not using the best tyre option – you destroy the bike in FP1 and you don’t go to PR.
“I understand that the MotoGP is expensive, but it’s also not a way that three guys in the box repair a complete bike from zero in three hours.
“I can understand that you can only use one bike per session maybe, but you need to have a complete spare bike in the background just for these cases because if not, it means that your weekend already ends on day one.”
Honda rider Luca Marini echoed Acosta’s sentiment, arguing that such a move could hurt the spectacle in qualifying.
“It’s worse for the show,” he said. “Because one of the best things is to see a rider crash in qualifying, run and jump on the other bike and make the pole position with the other bike.
“I think it’s something really good to see. It gives you a lot of adrenaline.”
Ducati Team mechanics
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Marini is also not convinced that limiting riders to a single bike would lead to significant savings for a team.
“If it’s a matter of cost or money, I don’t think it would change anything,” he said. “Because if you show only one bike in front of the garage, then you already have another bike behind the garage ready in case of any problem.”
Asked if the proposal could reduce the staffing requirements, he added: “Not sure. Because if you have less time, you have to work faster and maybe you need the same number of mechanics.
“For a manufacturer, I don’t think one mechanic makes a difference to the budget. Just changing from 1000cc to 850cc engines is a much more expensive idea, but this is already done.”
Flag-to-flag races have proved hugely popular in MotoGP, with current rules allowing riders to quickly switch to a wet-weather bike in the pitlane in case of any mid-race showers. Most recently, Marc Marquez claimed an impressive victory in the Jerez sprint race after crashing late in the lap and immediately switching to his second bike.
Yamaha’s 2021 champion Fabio Quartararo also echoed concerns about the idea, saying: “I think it’s bad. I mean, how do you do a flag-to-flag race?
“I think it’s also nice for the show that when you crash in qualifying, you can run to the box and take the other bike. I think it is nice to have two bikes.”
Aprilia’s Jorge Martin added: “I hear about that, but I don’t know. Rumours are rumours, so we don’t know if it will be true or not.
“I’d like to have two bikes, honestly. But as I always say, we cannot control what they will decide. So if we have one bike, we will try to enjoy it with one bike.”
Honda’s Joan Mir, who recorded 22 crashes last year, was more accepting of the idea.
“If I have one bike and the others have two, for me it’s not good. But if everyone has one, it’s fine,” he said.
“In Moto2 and in Moto3, I had one bike and it’s not a problem. For me, it’s not something to worry so much about.”
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