Aprilia moves up in MotoGP concessions as Ducati and Honda drop down

MotoGP’s concessions system enters its final stage before the arrival of the new technical regulations in 2027, which will mark the beginning of a new era in the world championship, with all manufacturers starting again from zero.

Under the current system, each manufacturer’s points over the previous 12 months are counted to determine which concessions level they will fall under for the following six months. The tallies are taken at the halfway point and at the end of each season.

Following the German Grand Prix, the 11th round of the calendar and halfway point of the 2026 season, the system shows that Aprilia has moved up one step to concessions Rank B over the past 12 months, while both Ducati and Honda move down from the level they had previously enjoyed to Rank B and D respectively.

Since the introduction of the current concessions system in 2024, Ducati had always remained at the highest and therefore most restrictive level, Rank A. It has now lost that status by just half a percentage point, as remaining in that group requires scoring 85% of the points available, while the Italian manufacturer scored 84.5% over the last 12 months.

Throughout that period, no other manufacturer had managed to move beyond Rank C, where both Aprilia and KTM had been. Now, however, the Noale-based manufacturer scored 72% of the points to move into Rank B, the range of which range is between 60% and 85% – figures that KTM has still not reached (49.8%).

Honda and Yamaha started at the lowest level, Rank D, but the Tokyo manufacturer managed to move up to Rank C in the last count at the end of the 2025 season. But it is a level it has only been able to retain for half a season, as over the last full year it scored only 31.8% of the points – below the 35% minimum required for Rank C. Yamaha has not reached Rank C either, having only scored 23.5% of the points available.

Ducati regains wildcards

After two and a half years without being able to field wildcard riders, Ducati will once again have three wildcards available over the next six months due to its concessions drop. It is an interesting option as it can use them either for its test rider, Michele Pirro, or for the leader of the World Superbike Championship, Italian rider Nicolo Bulega, who will almost certainly race with VR46 under a factory contract next year. Another advantage for Ducati is that it goes from 170 to 190 test tyres, while retaining a single aerodynamic update.

For Aprilia, the situation does not change much, as the only notable difference is that it goes from 220 test tyres to 190.

The move that does make a greater gain is Honda, which will once again be able to carry out tests with its race riders, gaining 40 test tyres and, among other things, having open engine development.

The concessions system, as it is currently configured, will come to an end at the close of the season and, from 2027, all manufacturers will start in Rank B.

In addition, the change in the technical regulations with the introduction of the new 850cc motorcycles and Pirelli tyres means that most manufacturers have already set aside development of the current 1000cc bike. Instead, they are focusing all their efforts on the new prototypes that some race riders were already able to test at the Brno test, and which they will again have at their disposal during the Monday test following the Austrian Grand Prix.

The entire 2027 grid will be able to ride the new motorcycles in Valencia on 1 December.

MotoGP concession system

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– The Autosport.com Team