“We like 22” - MotoGP says bigger grid is not necessarily better

MotoGP Chief Sporting Officer Carlos Ezpeleta says the championship is in no rush to find a sixth manufacturer or expand its grid beyond 22 riders.

The premier class has remained at its current size since Suzuki withdrew at the end of 2022.

The loss of the GSX-RR project also ended MotoGP’s quest for a symmetrical grid, where each of the six manufacturers would field one factory and one satellite team.

The present format sees four manufacturers each supporting one independent team, while Ducati supplies two additional teams.

“We like the 22 number, and we're not convinced that having more bikes on the grid is actually better for anybody,” Ezpeleta said.

“There's tremendous value in the teams [grid places] right now, and it's something that we want to preserve.

“Of course, new manufacturers are always welcome, but there's a pathway and a process for competing in MotoGP [but] it’s really hard to get to that level.”

Two new circuits for 2027

While the manufacturers will remain unchanged, the MotoGP calendar will be adjusted next season with the arrival of two ‘new’ venues.

The Autodromo Oscar y Juan Galvez circuit in Buenos Aires will return to the calendar for the first time since 1999, while Adelaide will take over from Phillip Island as host of the Australian round.

“There are two new circuits coming in which are already confirmed for next year, and the calendar is close to being confirmed,” Ezpeleta said.

“There are [other] markets that we're really interested to and we're talking to.

“But you can only be so ambitious, and you don't want to bring three or four new circuits in on the same year because every new event is four-five times more complex than an existing event.”

MotoGP has confirmed that the 2027 season, which begins the new 850cc and Pirelli era, will start in Thailand on March 5-7.