MotoGP, change of rules to help Honda and Yamaha take over Ducati – Corriere.it

Honda and Yamaha no longer win and Dorna comes to their aid. Carlos Ezpeletasporting manager of the MotoGp world championship, confirmed the information reported by the motosport.com site regarding the possibility that the two Japanese manufacturers, which ended up at the bottom of the constructors’ standings in a black crisis of results, can take advantage of a less restrictive regulation to bring them back to the top.

The proposal is on the table, it will have to be examined by all the manufacturers involved in the World Cup, but it will not fail to inflame the debate. The point is this: both Honda and Yamaha have lost that technical supremacy which, starting from 1973, allowed them to win all the premier class titles, first in the 500cc, then in MotoGP — except on two occasions: 2007 and 2022, in which Ducati won with Stoner and with Bagnaia -. Yamaha for about a year, Honda since Marquez broke the humerus of his right arm in 2020, have been chasing the European manufacturers, Ducati, Aprilia and Ktm with difficulty in a confrontation where the balance of power has reversed.

Dorna would like to rebalance the forces in the field, perhaps fearing that the two Japanese manufacturers will follow the example of Suzuki which withdrew from competition at the end of 2022. Hence the proposal for a regulation that grants them some advantages, following the example of what had been done with the latest arrivals in the championship, such as Aprilia, Ktm and Suzuki, who had been granted, for example, develop their engines during the season (while the opponents were frozen right from the first race) and to carry out other tests privately, with the riders registered for the world championship, as well as the collective tests carried out under the IRTA umbrella. Concessions that automatically expired after reaching the first podiums. The last to have lost them was Aprilia after Aleix Espargarò scored his second podium in Jerez in 2022.

Today, all brands run on par. That is why the proposal has already aroused the first negative reactions. In recent days, teased on the subject, Gigi Dall’Igna CEO of Ducati Corse, said: «It has been very difficult for us to get this far, with a lot of sacrifices by everyone within the factory and this must be recognised. All of this cannot be lost in the next few years due to possible concessions that are too favorable to others». The engineer from Veneto does not completely close the door (considering that we are on the eve of a complex negotiation for the technical regulation that will come into force in 2027), but asks for fairness: «It’s right to help teams in difficulty, but it’s right to do it fair way”.

A position similar to that of Aprilia who would like to broaden the discussion to other equally urgent topics, according to Massimo Rivola, CEO of the Veneto team: «It makes me feel that the smallest houses, those like us who do not have an automotive group behind them, are asked to help the bigger ones big. Having said that, I am willing to do what is needed for the good of the championship». The former sporting director of Ferrari put your finger on the numerical ratios on the track: «I’m referring to the disparity in attendance, between those who line up 2, 4 or 8 bikes (the latter is the case of the Ducati, ed) balancing private testing, wild cards and development possibilities. It seems to me very easy and unquestionably more balanced». There are other ideas on the table that will be examined at the meeting scheduled for Silverstone in August, on the occasion of the MotoGP appointment, which is now going on vacation for five weeks. There is no shortage of time to reflect, and perhaps, with more calm, a meeting point can be found.