MotoGP teams agree on new rule for riders returning from injury

MotoGP teams have surprisingly agreed to tweak the championship’s strict testing regulations to allow riders coming back from long injury breaks to test ahead of their return to race action.

Such tests were a hot topic of debate among teams ahead of Jorge Martin’s ill-fated MotoGP comeback at April’s Qatar Grand Prix. This followed an unsuccessful request from Martin’s Aprilia team to adjust the rules.

Now, effective from this weekend’s French Grand Prix, an optional single day’s running will be allowed for permanent MotoGP competitors who have missed three or more consecutive events or who have been unable to participate for 45 days during the season. The season start is defined in this case as the first official IRTA pre-season test – Martin’s injury woes this season began during pre-season testing in early February.

The choice of test venue must align with a manufacturer’s testing concessions. Restrictions also apply with regard to circuits still set to host races in the same season. No additional tyres will be added to the relevant manufacturer’s testing allocation.

While Aprilia’s initial call for an in-season rules tweak – one that would have benefitted Martin at the time – met with resistance and expectations that it would only come in for 2026, the new regulation is effective immediately.

With Miguel Oliveira set to return to action at the French Grand Prix this weekend, the testing rule comes into force with a clean slate as there will be no riders missing from the grid.

Avoiding a repeat of Austin chaos

Also in the latest MotoGP regulations, changes have been made to avoid a repeat of the startline chaos seen at the recent Grand Prix of the Americas, as was predicted by Autosport last month.

Following confusion around the relevant rules at COTA, which was exacerbated by misreadings and a red flag, some key regulations have now been revisited or clarified.

The latest regulations emphasise that any rider starting the warm-up lap from the pitlane can take their published grid position but will serve a double long-lap penalty during the race. This applies to Quick Starts as well as regular start procedures.

Any rider on the grid wishing to change his bike after the three-minute board that is displayed ahead of the warm-up lap may push his bike to the pitlane and must be clear of the grid by the one-minute board. He may start the warm-up lap from the pitlane and take the penalty as described above.

After the one-minute board, and up to and including the green flag, the rules are written with technical problems such as stalls in mind. In essence, however, starting from the grid is always possible provided the rider can exit the pitlane for the warm-up lap before it closes, and they make it to the grid ahead of the safety car.

As previously, in a wet race or when a white flag is displayed, riders can enter the pits at the end of the warm-up lap and change bikes. The only penalty in this case will be starting the race itself from the end of the pitlane, which implies joining the back of the field.

In light of the confusion and red flag in Texas, it has been clarified that, if more than 10 riders are set to start the race itself (not the warm-up lap) from the pitlane, the start will be cancelled (not delayed) and a Quick Start procedure will apply. In this case, all riders can once again change bikes if needed, and take their original grid positions.

As far as starting a warm-up lap from the pitlane is concerned, there is no limit to the number of riders. All will however serve the double long-lap penalty. This means riders remaining on the grid to start the warm-up lap – as Brad Binder, Enea Bastianini and Ai Ogura did in Texas – will have their gamble acknowledged.

INSIGHT: How MotoGP could show the way on free tyre changes at red flags