A lack of unanimity among MotoGP manufacturers has dramatically altered the outlook for a proposal led by Aprilia to limit riders to a single bike during Friday and Saturday practice sessions.
Until a couple of grands prix ago, most manufacturers believed that, starting next season, teams would remove one of the two bikes from the front of the garage during practice before reverting to the usual two-bike set-up for both the sprint race and Sunday's grand prix.
However, Motorsport understands that divisions within the Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers **** ociation (MSMA) have forced a rethink on a proposal that had been all but approved. As things stand, the initiative has reached a dead end and now appears highly unlikely to be introduced.
The proposal, initially put forward by Aprilia and backed by Ducati, was presented as a cost-saving measure. Those opposed to the idea, however, believe the real motivation behind the two Italian manufacturers' push is their confidence that they already hold a technical advantage with the all-new 2027 prototypes.
In theory, restricting riders to a single bike during practice would slow development work and make it harder for rivals to close what they see as an existing performance gap.
Until a couple of grands prix ago, most manufacturers believed that, starting next season, teams would remove one of the two bikes from the front of the garage during practice before reverting to the usual two-bike set-up for both the sprint race and Sunday's grand prix.
However, Motorsport understands that divisions within the Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers **** ociation (MSMA) have forced a rethink on a proposal that had been all but approved. As things stand, the initiative has reached a dead end and now appears highly unlikely to be introduced.
The proposal, initially put forward by Aprilia and backed by Ducati, was presented as a cost-saving measure. Those opposed to the idea, however, believe the real motivation behind the two Italian manufacturers' push is their confidence that they already hold a technical advantage with the all-new 2027 prototypes.
In theory, restricting riders to a single bike during practice would slow development work and make it harder for rivals to close what they see as an existing performance gap.
16 days ago
