Aprilia, KTM allowed to keep developing engines
Aprilia and KTM have been given special dispensation to continue developing their MotoGP engines until the end of June.
The news follows Aprilia requesting to the Grand Prix Commission to continue working on its all-new 90-degree V4 for reliability reasons until closer to the start of the delayed 2020 season, currently planned to begin at Jerez in late July.
Previously, it had been decided that the engines of all manufacturers would be frozen all year according to the homologations submitted in March during Qatar testing in the interest of cost savings in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic.
However, concession manufacturers Aprilia and KTM have been granted an exemption to this, and can now develop their engines until June 29.
Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki and Ducati will be forced to use the same spec of engine through the shortened 2020 campaign and the 2021 season.
Manufacturers can't gain concessions
It has also been decided that the four non-concession manufacturers, owing to the shorter length of the calendar, will not be able to gain concessions this year.
In normal circumstances, a full season without any top-three results would be enough for a manufacturer to gain the concessions, which include unlimited engine development, extra engines to use in a season and extra wildcard appearances (six instead of three), as Suzuki did after its poor 2017 campaign.
However, Aprilia and KTM will still be able to lose their concessions should they acquire six concession points (awarded on a 3-2-1 basis for a top-three finish). Any concession points gained this year will be valid for two years.
Lorenzo return canned as MotoGP confirms wildcard ban
KTM opposed Aprilia engine development request
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Motorsport.com, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock of Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. We analyse what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP's Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How praise for Honda's MotoGP bike has given way to doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's win was vital not only for his title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
The MotoGP rookie fighting two fronts in his debut year
Darryn Binder has found himself in the unenviable position as MotoGP's most under-pressure rookie in 2022 having made the step directly from Moto3 with a reputation as an over-aggressive rider. This hasn't been an easy thing to shake at the start of the season, but he believes tangible progress is being made
How ‘Beast’ mode is putting Ducati in 2022 MotoGP title contention
Enea Bastianini’s second win of the 2022 campaign at COTA puts him back in the lead of the standings and once again showed the best Ducati package is still the 2021 bike. Those closest to Bastianini tell Motorsport.com why he’s so good on the GP21 relative to his factory counterparts.
How Espargaro helped Aprilia shed MotoGP's underdog tag
Aleix Espargaro became MotoGP's newest winner in a thrilling Argentina Grand Prix in which he also proved the merits of the Aprilia project. After six years of hard graft, both parties have reaped the rewards they have long thought they deserved. But it was several key moments in that journey that led both to that momentous Sunday at Termas de Rio Hondo.