Guenther Steiner warns MotoGP against 2027 single-bike rule: “I don't get it”

Tech3 boss Guenther Steiner has warned MotoGP would be making a mistake if it introduces a rumoured single-bike rule from 2027.

The proposal has been labelled as a cost-saving initiative, but Steiner says the sport will pay a high price for little, if any, financial benefit.

“Maybe I'm too dumb to understand it, but I don't know what the savings are by having one bike or two,” Steiner said.

“Why fewer mechanics? I mean, you need a second bike anyway, but now you've got all the bits and pieces behind a wall. So, if you need to put the bike together, do you need more or fewer people?

“I don't think you need less. Maybe you don't need more in the beginning, but it will end up that you will bring more people, actually.

“Because if you have a crash. Okay, let's get the spare bike together, which is half built in the back. But now you need to fix the main bike and build up the spare bike.

“So I don't think there is any saving to be made. I don't get it.

“And we steal from the show, for the spectators. Who is the most important part of any sport? The fans.”

“We are taking away a lot of spectacle”

“I think we are taking away from the spectacle for no good reason," he added.

“I personally think there is no saving. I was told there is a small saving, one mechanic a year. But we are taking away a lot of spectacle for very little gain.

“So I'm quite passionate about this one, because I don't get it.”

One of the biggest casualties of a blanket single-bike rule would be flag-to-flag races, where riders swap machines when conditions change.

“What is cooler than a rider jumping from one bike to another in the rain?” Steiner said.

“Look at the social media results. When that happens, it is booming. People find it cool.

“And if we take it away, I don't think it's smart.”

Flag-to-flag bike swaps might yet be saved if the single bike rule is waived for race situations. 

But that makes a further mockery of the proposal, since it would mean all teams have to build a spare bike after qualifying.

Nonetheless, a race exemption would at least avoid riders being forced to sit out restarts if their main bike was damaged.

However, accidents in practice or qualifying would leave riders waiting for longer in the pits, while mechanics face even greater pressure to make repairs.

“I hope people come to their senses”

“I'm against it, but the manufacturers are for it, it seems,” Steiner continued.

“I haven't understood what is really driving this. Because Dorna [MotoGP SEG] is not for it. It's obviously taking away from their show.

“But the manufacturers don't understand; they are taking away from their own show, where they can show their product.

“You need the same amount of spare parts anyway. Because if you crash, you still need to build the second bike.

“But instead of being in one piece [ready to go], it's in 200 pieces.

“I hope people come to their senses and realise that it was actually one of these ideas which wasn't very good.”

Budget cap alternative

If MotoGP is serious about reducing costs, Steiner believes there are more effective solutions available.

“If you want to save money, it's a very easy solution: The budget [cap],” he said.

“We all know where it has worked [in Formula 1] with very good results. 

"Or less testing, very easy.”