Until the end of the 2026 season, it is a safe bet that the Ducati factory will continue its current hegemony. For what ? Because the strong trend behind the scenes is that from 2027, we will almost start from a blank slate with the abandonment of the 1 cc engine for the advent of an 000 cc. In addition to this major change, it is a safe bet that current piloting aids such as aerodynamic appendages will become more discreet. We are in 850 and given the upheaval that is looming on the horizon, the Japanese manufacturers currently in great difficulty would therefore have no reason to exhaust their resources and their skills to remake their current copy and deliver an opus that does not would only be eligible for three seasons, with no guarantee of success what's more...
For the record, it took Ducati almost a decade to get there. And from 2027, MotoGP will change completely if we take into account the more and more insistent rumors about the new regulations under discussion. The idea is to stop inflation at the peak speed which is currently 366,1 km/h at Mugello with a Brad Binder excited about the KTM. And then there is this notion of “dirty air” reserved until recently for Formula 1 and which now applies to MotoGP, which has fully entered the era of aerodynamics.
So, it is necessary to reduce the cavalry, unload the machines of their ailerons to cut their wings, a maneuver which will also concern the question of the attitude corrector. In short, the current motorcycles will be stored at the museum. It will be expensive, as always, to start from a blank page. It is therefore difficult to see Yamaha et Honda launch a counter-attack in the coming months for a war whose end is therefore set for the end of 2026.
Three manufacturers immediately favored a displacement of 850 cc for the engine. The opponents were KTM et Aprilia, but it seems that only this brand is now the only one to refuse the movement. The Austrian company would indeed have opened up to a future with smaller displacement motorcycles. The CEO of Aprilia Racing, Massimo rivola, would like to reduce the power of the engine by increasing the bore (now to a maximum of 81 mm) and retaining the 1cc in order to limit the costs of developing new high-performance parts.
Pit Beirer: “ MotoGP will evolve towards Formula 1, with an engine platform for the teams »
Pete Beirer, head of competition within the Pierer Mobility group, recently commented on the reduction in displacement for MotoGP 2027: “ we agree with the reduction to 850 cc. We think this is a relatively reasonable reduction. Because if you remove 150cc, you remove torque and power. You can offer very interesting MotoGP regulations with 3cc. There is now a stable majority in favor of this solution ».
« Aprilia would in principle like to stay with the 1cc engine. It was our original idea. But after numerous discussions, we moved towards the 000 cm850 cylinder capacity, which has quite positive aspects. Of course, it was also a cost factor for us not to touch the engine so radically, because it would have been cheaper to continue working on the basis of an existing engine. But it's not just Aprilia that is worried about costs, but all of us ».
Remember that the four-stroke era of MotoGP began in 2002 with 990 cc motorcycles and from 3 to 2007. The category saw an 2011 cc engine and it is precisely with one of them that Casey Stoner bring Ducati to success. We will also remember that this displacement was abandoned because the machines reached such dizzying speeds in curves that this posed a question of safety, the escape routes on the circuits no longer being adapted to this new situation...
However, that’s not all that’s hanging over the current meetings about the new regulations: “ MotoGP will evolve towards Formula 1. As a manufacturer, you will have an engine platform like in Formula 1 », explains the same Pit Beirer on speedweek. " The teams will then be distinguished by a different chassis, the training units remaining identical ". Which fundamentally changes the approach and message of the competition. Will the Japanese follow? And will they even wait until 2027, suffering defeats and humiliations promised until 2026 with their current motorcycles, since it already seems too late to change them?
