The main stakeholders in MotoGP are studying the introduction of a football-style transfer window for when teams are allowed to sign riders, Autosport understands.
A meeting of the recently-created IRTA Management Council was held at the Silverstone paddock on Friday morning. The body brings together representatives of the MotoGP teams’ association, IRTA, and the teams themselves, and on this occasion also included MotoGP sporting director Carlos Ezpeleta.
One of main issues discussed in the meeting was the introduction of a rider transfer window: a measure that would establish a specific period during which teams could complete rider signings. Any deal agreed outside that window would not be valid.
The thinking behind the initiative is to try to prevent a repeat of what has happened during the first half of this season, when the sporting side of the championship and the action on track have been overshadowed by a rider market that became active much earlier than usual.
Autosport reported at the end of January that Fabio Quartararo had agreed to join Honda, with Jorge Martin set to take his place at Yamaha. Shortly afterwards, still in January, Pedro Acosta’s agreement with Ducati became known, with the Spaniard set to share the factory garage with Marc Marquez.
The rush to secure a seat for the 2027 grid meant that around 80% of the available places had already been assigned to riders before the summer break, which traditionally was the point at which most of the moves were finalised.
Marc Marquez, Ducati Team, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
In itself, that is not necessarily a problem, although for many it takes some of the essence out of the championship, which should ultimately be about what happens on track.
With that in mind, all the parties involved are studying a formula to try to implement a model already used in other sports, such as football.
The issue is a complex one because it would have to take into account a number of possible scenarios, such as promotions from the lower categories. For that reason, the logical approach would probably be to devise a framework that could also be applied to those cases, with certain exceptions.
Autosport understands that following the meeting held at Silverstone, there are differences of opinion between those who consider the idea both viable and positive, such as Yamaha, and those who are more reluctant and believe it would be an extremely difficult objective to achieve, such as Ducati.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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