In MotoGP, the concession points were recently validated unanimously which can be considered as window dressing, in view of the comments made by the European manufacturers who followed this regulatory opening towards their Japanese counterparts. It now remains to be determined what the next regulation applicable from 2027 will be. A titanic task, even if the principle of reducing the engine displacement seems acquired. But for everything else, from aero to electronics to mechanical level control, you still have to adjust. Which worries the one who made Ducati the dominant force we know today in MotoGP: Gigi Dall'Igna.
Carmelo Ezpeleta, in the concession points file, had vouched for the fact that Ducati would not be punished for having been the best to understand the current regulations, to the point of now dominating the MotoGP field. Including until the end of 2026, even if the Red Army has seen some obstacles put in place, notably a limitation on the annual allocation of tires and a ban on using the wildcard option. It now remains to define the next era, which will begin in 2027.
It is expected at this stage that the displacement will be reduced from 1 cc to 000 cc in order to decrease power and speed. However, there is no news yet regarding aerodynamics and other devices, although there is talk of a reduction in the number of tires available, perhaps only for Ducati, the most competitive manufacturer currently…
A trend that Gigi Dall'Igna, general director of Ducati regrets. On GP One, he stressed that his team never requested a regulation change and was even penalized when they interpreted the rules correctly. He is referring in particular to the device for lowering the front of the motorcycle, which was legal but was banned this year.
« I proposed using the attitude correction in MotoGP a bit like DRS in Formula 1 »
He says : " what's funny, if I may say so, is that they all try to limit us, when on the contrary we have never requested a change in regulations. We have always read and applied the regulations, ending up being penalized even when we interpreted it correctly ».
Dall'Igna had proposed using this device in a limited way, similar to DRS in Formula 1, to facilitate overtaking in a straight line. However, his proposal was not taken into account. “ I suggested using it a bit like DRS, only in special cases, in a straight line, perhaps a limited number of times per race » confirms Gigi Dall'Igna. Used in this way, the front lowering device would obviously have facilitated overtaking in a straight line even on motorcycles, such as the Yamaha , whose strong point is not exactly its power. But the option, explained by Livio Suppo already last year, was not accepted.
Regarding the proposal for Luca Boscosco to limit fuel consumption rather than engine capacity, Dall'Igna explains that this would result in higher costs, because the engines would have to be designed specifically to operate in these conditions. “ The engines would have to be very poor, and it is not easy to do so without avoiding problems. Finally, it would be necessary to study engines specially designed to operate in these conditions and they would cost more than current engines », concludes the man from Ducati Corsica who will have to fight for their colors in these negotiations with a view to 2027.
