The unprecedented crisis at Honda and Yamaha has forced the MotoGP World Championship organizers to take a step. That Marc Márquez and Fabio Quartararo, two of the great references on the grid, are struggling not to fall and far from victory does not leave behind a discipline that has long been trying to regain its importance. The aim is clear: the integrity of competition must be preserved and the balance of power and competitiveness must be promoted.
The idea is to achieve this by overhauling regulations to give concessions to the factories that make up the competition, a change that comes as the Japanese behemoths are light years away from their European rivals . “We are working to help not only Honda but also Yamaha, another Japanese manufacturer, so that they can become competitive again more quickly,” said Carlos Ezpeleta, sporting director of Dorna, the Spanish organizer of the championship, in an interview on the program Tot Costa de Catalunya Radio. “Dorna’s official position is that the concession system needs to be updated,” he added.
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At the moment there are only preliminary contacts with all the plants in the World Championship, dominated by the Italian Ducati. The factory from Bologna dominates the manufacturers’ standings and has scored 285 out of a possible 296 points (96%) in the eight races so far. They are followed in the ranking by Austrian KTM and also Italian Aprilia, while the Japanese brands look at everything from a much further distance. Against this backdrop of European boom, Suzuki decided last year to make a surprise exit from the competition, a move not ruled out for Honda and Yamaha at this point if the downtrend continues.
Concessions have historically been critical to accelerating the progress of factories that set the pace in today’s age of dominance in electronics, aerodynamics and other technological solutions. “Honda and Yamaha have been very considerate of dealer regulations in the past. That was crucial for Ducati to be competitive and also for Suzuki to be that fast, for KTM and Aprilia to officially enter the World Championship and also be competitive. “The other manufacturers will understand that,” Ezpeleta explained the organizer’s position. However, due to current regulations, the aid will not be able to reach the Japanese until 2025. It is for this reason that Dorna is proposing to change the requirements, although the decision on the matter will not be made until after the British GP holidays.
The concessions were introduced in 2016 with the intention of allowing more flexibility for underperforming factories. In particular, those who failed to achieve a podium finish throughout the season were eligible for this aid the following year. Only in 2023, for the first time since the system premiered, no one had the right to it. Among the benefits currently granted are the availability of more engines per season – nine instead of seven – the ability to change their performance throughout the year, twice the number of guest drivers in Grand Prix – six instead of three – and the possibility of … organization private tests with the brand’s official pilots.
Alberto Puig, HRC’s sporting director, was asked about the matter ahead of the summer break and was blunt about the reality of the brand. “Basically, Honda has to be a bike that works better and not wait for help from the championship,” he said in Assen. Gigi Dall’Igna, his counterpart at Ducati, referred to the position of the Italians in statements to AS: “The championship should be as balanced as possible and a compromise must be found together so that everyone can fight for the important positions.” .It’s right to help teams in trouble, but it’s right to do it fairly.”
The chair game begins
Aside from rescuing the Japanese to avoid another deadly sayonara for the championship’s image, Carlos Ezpeleta confirmed that there are no plans to expand the grid in 2024. In fact, his father Carmelo Ezpeleta – CEO of Dorna – is already a year ahead In an interview with EL PAÍS last year, he recalled that the ideal number of bikes for the organizer would be 20. If nothing changes, a maximum of 22 motorcycles will be available for the next World Championship. This severely limits Marc Márquez’s options if he seeks a Titanic exit at Honda, as there has already been speculation of creating a bespoke privateer team as a solution to the entanglement.
On the other hand, KTM has promised Pedro Acosta, future talent and Moto2 title contender, an immediate place in MotoGP, so one of its current riders – Pol Espargaró and Augusto Fernández in GasGas; Jack Miller and Brad Binder in office will have to step down at the end of the year to give up his seat to the 19-year-old from Murcia.