Changes in regulations are almost always a source of conflict between the championship’s manufacturers. This is a logical consequence, because each of them defends its own interests based on the moment it is experiencing. Next week, at the start of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, the Grand Prix Commission is planning to approve the introduction of the engine freeze that will apply in 2025 and will remain in place in 2026.
In the current situation, teams homologate engines before the opening round of the calendar and cannot touch them until the last minute. With the change, the specifications homologated before the Thailand Grand Prix, which will open the 2025 world championship on March 25, will have to be used until the end of the following season (2026). There will continue to be exemptions to this limitation for manufacturers that enjoy concessions, of which there are currently only two: Yamaha and Honda.
On paper, this adjustment is included under the heading of cost containment. The bodies sponsoring the event welcome the fact that this change will encourage brands to focus their sights and part of their budget on the shake-up that will occur in 2027, when the new technical regulation will come into force. However, there are also those who point out that this decree hides an obvious contradiction and benefits some more than others. The bodies sponsoring the event welcome the fact that this change will encourage brands to focus their sights and part of their budget on the shake-up that will occur in 2027, when the new technical regulation will come into force. However, there are also those who point out that this decree hides an obvious contradiction and benefits some more than others.
To reach the decision to freeze the engines, several MSMA meetings were necessary, some quite intense. The last one, which took place last Thursday in Misano, was the most faithful reflection of the circumstances of one of the companies that invest in MotoGP. Among these, the most in favor are Yamaha and Ducati, two very different companies that in this area are in agreement.
On the one hand, Yamaha is fine with the freeze as long as it continues to enjoy concessions. This will enable the development of its first V-four engine of the MotoGP era. In fact, last Tuesday, Motorsport.com revealed that the Iwata technical department, under the supervision of Luca Marmorini, has been working for months on an alternative to Yamaha’s traditional inline-four engine. Marmorini has been a key figure in the revitalization of Aprilia, as he has worked closely with the Noale manufacturer in strengthening and increasing the performance and reliability of the RS-GP’s power unit.
The path that Yamaha is following is to put the new 1000cc engine on the track during 2025 and continue to develop it in 2026, before reducing its displacement to 850cc when the new regulations come into force in 2027. Motorsport.com understands that there are critical voices within the MSMA about the strategy of the three tuning forks manufacturer, considering it an expenditure that is not in accordance with the spirit of the new rule in question.
“A project of these characteristics requires an investment of several tens of millions of euros, because going from an inline engine to a V-engine means practically changing the entire bike,” one of the most authoritative engineers in the paddock tells the author of these lines. The previous statement validates the thesis of those who believe that it makes no sense to support the limitation of investments as the main push for the freeze, while giving someone the freedom to spend a fortune at the same time. Within the MSMA itself, there are members who were surprised by the change in Yamaha’s discourse after the arrival of Max Bartolini, the technical manager hired from Ducati, where he was Gigi Dall’Igna’s right-hand man for years. Under Bartolini, the position of the blue motorcycle manufacturer has become much tougher on some issues.
Honda is in the same situation, although its stance is much less firm. The gold-winged brand is also investing heavily in its RC213V power units, but it is less clear in which direction to aim. In the Misano test on Monday, its riders tried a new engine that, judging by the comments of the riders, did not deliver the results hoped for. Honda, however, is already doing well to be free to continue investing in a component that it believes is fundamental to its resurrection.
In a relatively similar position is KTM, which is not going through its best moment from an economic point of view, with considerable losses caused by the decrease in sales. This situation has led the top management to apply a policy of layoffs aimed at alleviating the pressure on the cash flow. Clearly, this rule that leads indirectly to limiting expenses in MotoGP is welcome in the group led by Stefan Pierer. “What was not logical was the level of investment that had been reached. Nothing was repaired. If a chassis had to be made, they didn’t just make one, they made several, even before the testers tried it. There were times when they went out to do a run and then discarded it. This meant throwing everything in the garbage,” explains a member of the KTM box to Motorsport.com.
Aprilia is in a “no man’s land”. The Noale-based company, one of those most closely controlled by its parent company, the Piaggio Group, has found a difficult balance to achieve when considering the resources to be allocated to the MotoGP project, their distribution and the performance and returns obtained. However, Motorsport.com understands that its executives would prefer to have the freedom to decide where to concentrate their capital, without it being constrained or determined from outside.
Then there is Ducati, which always wins and will continue to do so, both on and off the track. The approval of the new rule will not only freeze the engines, but will also limit the evolution of those who want to get closer to the Desmosedici, the most dominant bike of recent times, winner of 12 of the 13 races held this season – in Austin Viñales won, with Aprilia – and which has achieved 34 of the 39 podiums put into play. With a change around the corner, the superiority of the Borgo Panigale team seems guaranteed at least until 2027.
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