Manufacturers propose one-bike MotoGP rule from 2027 as Liberty Media reviews

Manufacturers have proposed a rule to limit each premier-class rider to a single bike from 2027, a measure now being assessed by the championship promoter and Liberty Media as part of the 2027–2031 Concorde Agreement negotiations. The change would remove the current two-bike option that lets riders run divergent set-up directions and swap machines in flag-to-flag races, and it would likely end flag-to-flag racing in its present form.

Riders would have no spare machine available in FP1 or Q3 if they crash, and teams would lose the instant fallback that two bikes provide. Reports used the Catalan Grand Prix as an example, saying Pedro Acosta and race winner Fabio Di Giannantonio would have been unable to restart the Race after damaging their primary bikes, a scenario that would have affected race results and championship standings. Comparisons were drawn to Moto2 and Moto3, which have used a one-bike model since 2010, and to WorldSBK, where teams may keep an uncertified spare in the truck that requires technical-inspector authorization.

Organizers and teams have discussed alternatives to manage changing weather and tire needs, including reintroducing mandatory red-flag stops or adopting garage pit stops with mandatory minimum times similar to WorldSBK, since a typical flag-to-flag bike swap is a sub-three-second operation and would be impractical under a one-bike limit. The proposal has prompted pushback during negotiations, with Yamaha, Aprilia and KTM reportedly boycotting a factories meeting at Jerez, several rider announcements for 2027 delayed, and strong criticism from fans and social media comparisons to Formula 1's 2008 spare-car ban. Precise details and any projected savings have not been quantified, and any amendment would require a formal vote and approval by the Grand Prix Commission, leaving the proposal contested and subject to change before adoption for 2027–2031.