MotoGP confirms controversial one-bike rule is under consideration

MotoGP chief Carlos Ezpeleta has confirmed that a controversial one-bike rule is being considered, though declined to say when this could come into force.

On Friday at the Czech Grand Prix, MotoGP confirmed the long-awaited commercial agreement between the championship and the manufacturers for the next five-year period.

Both parties had been in deadlock over a deal for months over the financial aspect, with the delay ultimately putting on hold 2027 rider announcements.

During a press conference on Friday at Brno, Carlos Ezpeleta acknowledged that regulatory changes are under consideration for 2027 - though details were scant.

One topic that has dominated discussion lately has been a controversial proposal for riders to have just one bike at their disposal during sessions.

The idea is to cut costs, though the proposal was met with backlash from fans, as well as Tech3 team CEO Guenther Steiner.

Ezpeleta confirmed that this is under discussion, though noted that the flag-to-flag rule will remain, meaning two bikes will still be present for races.

However, he declined to reveal many details.

“A lot of this discussion was about how do we build on this platform, where the sport and the fans love… I’m not saying shouldn’t be altered forever, but sort of the core focus point because we all agree what happens on track is very, very special,” Ezpeleta began.

“And it’s just about how can we invest and improve in areas where we can capture more fans and continue to grow the business.

“And as part of that, we have discussed different changes to the technical rules, to the format, none of which look at the sprint and the grand prix race itself, where we all agree that the current rules with flag-to-flag and being able to use the second bike during an issue even on the sighting lap of warm-up lap, we all agree it’s important to maintain that.

“We are looking at other areas of the weekend to see if there are better ways, always, to improve the sport and the safety of the riders, improve also the working atmosphere and the investment of the manufacturers.

“So, of course, there is a conversation around that. But that’s not directly part of this announcement because it’s not finalised yet.”

The shift to a one-bike rule is set to also be allied to shorter practice sessions.

Ezpeleta didn’t confirm this would be the case, but noted that announcements on regulatory changes for 2027 would be made in the coming months.

“I mean, the focus of the announcement is clearly to showcase that all six parties are aligned, that we’re committed for at least five more years,” he added.

“There’s already a lot of things happening next year, as you know. We are looking at changes… well, improvements, to a number of areas to the championship.

“As you know, they have to go through the right process to be announced. They have to be approved by the Grand Prix Commission, which is not only the manufacturers and MotoGP Group, but it is also IRTA [the teams’ association] and the FIM.

“And I think, what is clear, any of the discussions targeted at improving the sport are, first and foremost, from a safety point of view. But also for an entertainment and business point of view.

“So, within the next couple of months, I think we will be able to announce things.”