MotoGP engine specification frozen for 2026
Ahead of the new specification MotoGP bikes coming in for 2027, the Grand Prix Commission has agreed to freeze engine spec’ for the preceding season.
Engine specification in the MotoGP class will be frozen for 2026, requiring all manufacturers to use their 2025 engines for the following season.
This is in order to control costs and maximise parity ahead of the introduction of the new regulations in 2027.
The sole exceptions to the freeze will be for safety or reliability, and for any manufacturers in concession Rank D. Corrections for safety or reliability, or proven non-availability of components, may be allowed for any manufacturer providing no performance increase will be gained.
For factories in concession Rank D, the engine specification freeze will not apply unless they change rank. The spec for them will remain free as it is now, allowing those with a greater performance deficit to the top to continue working on key areas of their machinery.
From 2027, engine size will be reduced from 1000cc to 850cc. The maximum bore will reduce from 81 to 75 millimetres, which will also limit performance. This makes the engines more road-relevant at the same time as ensuring they keep the characteristics that make MotoGP as spectacular as it is. To make the sport even more efficient, the maximum number of engines allowed for each rider in a season will also reduce, from seven to six.
As already announced, MotoGP will race with 100 per cent sustainable fuel from 2027 – rising from the minimum 40 per cent the sport has raced with since 2024. As part of the new regulations, fuel tank capacity will also reduce, from 22 litres to 20, and riders will be allowed to use 11 litres during the Tissot Sprint.
Aerodynamics will be reduced and more tightly controlled from 2027, with the aim of minimising their negative effects. The width of the top of the front fairing will be 50 mm narrower and the nose will be pushed back 50 mm, reducing the effect of aero where it matters, on the straights and the braking areas.
At the back, the aero behind the rider will be part of the homologation from 2027, and teams will only be allowed to update that once per season to control costs.
In the new era from 2027, all ride-height and holeshot devices will be banned.
To level the playing field even further, GPS data from all riders will be available to all teams after each session. Providing data to all competitors offers better opportunity to progress for the less performing teams and riders, and at a controlled cost.
The current concession system, introduced at the end of the 2023 season, will continue – but as the new technical regulations come into force in 2027, all manufacturers will start the season in Rank B. They will then be assessed again mid-season, in summer 2027, and can change rank up or down to have access to more or less concessions. This reactive system means manufacturers’ performance is taken into account from Day 1, keeping the playing field as close as possible as a new era begins.
