Mat Oxley: What we know about MotoGP’s 2027 regs

This year it’s Formula 1’s turn to have its technical regulations overhauled, next year it will be MotoGP’s.

The championship’s 2027 technical rules were written to exorcise some of the excesses of recent seasons, during which various F1-inspired technologies changed the face of MotoGP, mostly for the worse.

Horsepower will be reduced, downforce aerodynamics will be trimmed and ride-height devices (derived from Mercedes’ F1 ride-height regulator of 2014) will be banned. The championship will also switch to Pirelli tyres, after 11 years with Michelin.

The primary target of the rules rewrite is to improve the quality of the racing, which has become mostly less than thrilling, and to improve safety, by reducing top speeds.

MotoGP bikes currently nudge 230mph at some tracks, hence the reduction in engine capacity, from 1000cc to 850cc. Not everyone is convinced this change will make much difference from a safety point of view. Back in 2007, MotoGP engine capacity was shrunk from 990cc to 800cc, which reduced top speeds by a meagre 9mph. At the same time the smaller engines allowed lighter motorcycles, which were faster through the corners…

“The big argument for the 2027 reduction in engine capacity was safety concerns,” says Pit Beirer, KTM’s motor sport director. “But we know that corner speeds will be higher [with the new 850s], and this is where we crash.”

All five manufacturers – Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, KTM and Yamaha – are already well advanced in engineering their 850s. Of course, engineers won’t talk openly about their new motorcycles, but they are happy to discuss what interests fans the most: will the 850s create better racing?

The wonders of computer modelling suggest the racing will indeed be improved because the new bikes will be less high-tech, so they will return more control to the rider, prioritising skill over engineering genius.

“When they reduce the [downforce] aero you will again see slides and saves,” says reigning MotoGP champion Marc Márquez. “With the aero you cannot save a crash, because when you are leaning at more than 60 degrees the aero puts so much force into the tyres that when you lose grip it’s not a gradual loss.”

The new aero regulations reduce bodywork width – and therefore downforce surfaces – but more crucially the rules push the fairing nose back, so it no longer creates load directly over the front tyre’s contact patch. This will have several effects.

MotoGP’s current aero spec makes overtaking difficult, which is why the racing has become somewhat processional. Primarily, this is because the rider chasing another rider finds himself in the low-pressure zone of the lead rider’s motorcycle. Less air pressure means less anti-wheelie downforce, so instead of using the low-pressure zone to catch the lead rider and set up an overtake (as was the case in the past), the chasing rider’s machine lifts its front wheel more aggressively, forcing him to ease the throttle, so he can’t set up a pass.

“I believe we will have between 30% and 50% less downforce,” says Aprilia’s MotoGP technical director Fabiano Sterlacchini. “Regarding the problems with overtaking, I think it will be easier with the new bikes, definitely.”

MotoGP should also look more spectacular from 2027. The reduction in downforce and absence of ride-height devices will make the bikes less stable, so riders will need to move around more as they enter and exit corners to maintain balance and forward progress. For example, when riders are on the throttle they will have to climb over the front of the bike to reduce wheelies.

“The new bikes will pitch more and the riders will have to work more”

“The new bikes will definitely pitch more and the riders will have to work more,” says Honda’s technical director Romano Albesiano. “Talking with riders now, they say that the current MotoGP bikes are easy to ride, because the engines have perfect delivery and the bikes are very stable, due to the aero and everything. OK, to find the last second is super-difficult, but I expect the new bikes to be more challenging to ride. In general the new bikes will be less perfect, which should be good
for the spectacle.”

Smaller engines, less downforce and no ride-height devices are part of MotoGP’s biggest regulatory shake-up since the advent of large-capacity four-strokes in 2002. Thus the new breed of MotoGP bikes will be very different. However, engineers and riders know that the biggest consequence of the new rules will be the switch to Pirelli, because all aspects of machine performance can only be transferred to the racetrack by the tyres.

“For me, the new rules look good, because anything that can better show the talent of riders is much appreciated,” says Honda’s Luca Marini. “It will be crucial to develop the bikes and to make the tyres work, because in the end this is the most important thing: to make the tyres work properly.”