This is one of the quirks of the MotoGP regulations. Following the German Grand Prix, Ducati will officially regain a status the brand has been deprived of for nearly ten years: that of a manufacturer benefiting from technical concessions. A seismic shift for a brand that has been utterly dominant in recent years. However, Ducati isn't exactly in crisis.
Reintroduced in 2024, the concessions system had a clear objective: to reduce the gap that separated Ducati from the rest of the field. At the time, the Borgo Panigale manufacturer dominated the discipline so much that the risk of a one-sided championship became real.
Two seasons later, the landscape has changed profoundly. Aprilia has established itself as a true contender for the title. KTM remains competitive. Honda et Yamaha continue their reconstruction. In this context, Ducati no longer accumulates enough points over the reference period to retain its Category A constructor status. Mathematically, even a double victory at the Sachsenring will no longer be sufficient.
Concretely, Ducati will move to category B for the second half of the 2026 season. This development will notably allow it to have three additional wild cards, to benefit from more test days, and to obtain a larger quota of tires for development.
However, these advantages remain limited. Indeed, the regulations prohibit the use of the future MotoGP 850cc during these wildcard appearances. Above all, this situation will be very temporary. The new technical regulations of 2027 will completely reset the clock.
Aprilia confirms its progress, finding itself in the same category as Ducati
This development also confirms the progress made by ApriliaThe Noale-based manufacturer is moving from category C to category B, a testament to its growing strength. However, it is now mathematically impossible for it to reach category A before the end of this technical generation.
The 2026 championship therefore confirms a convergence of performances between Ducati et Aprilia.
The other important consequence concerns HondaJust a few months after celebrating its promotion to category C, the Japanese manufacturer is already expected to drop back down to category D. Barring a highly improbable scenario at the Sachsenring, Honda will thus regain the maximum level of concessions in order to accelerate its reconstruction.
KTM will retain its place in category C. Yamaha still in great difficulty despite some progress, will remain in category D.
Check Ducati Finding concessions is above all a symbol. It doesn't mean that Borgo Panigale has become a struggling brand. On the contrary. It mainly demonstrates that the system devised by the MotoGP has gradually allowed it to reduce the gap with its competitors.
With the 850cc motorcycle revolution just months away, the championship seems more balanced than it has been for several seasons. And that was precisely the goal the organizers were aiming for.
