MotoGP Announces Huge Concession System Overhaul For 2024
After a dominant season for Ducati, MotoGP wants to bring the field closer together and announces a huge concession system…
The MotoGP concession system, previously tied to individual race performances, underwent a significant overhaul in 2024. The current setup now sorts manufacturers into four groups (A to D), based on their overall results from the previous season rather than isolated victories.
This shift aimed to bring more fairness and consistency, yet the updated structure has not been without its detractors. Under the revised system, manufacturer groupings are determined by their percentage of points relative to the previous year’s top-performing manufacturer.
For 2024, Ducati leads Group A, with KTM and Aprilia placed in Group C. Yamaha and Honda, struggling after difficult campaigns, find themselves in Group D, which comes with the most extensive set of concessions.
Despite the perceived advantages of Group D, Honda’s Luca Marini has downplayed the benefits, labeling most of the allowances as “negligible.” However, Dorna’s Sporting Director Carlos Ezpeleta made it clear that there are no plans to tweak the system for at least the next two years.
Ezpeleta emphasized that the revamped concessions approach offers a more logical framework: “On paper, the new system makes much more sense because it’s based less on luck or a single race outcome,” he stated. “We believe it’s working well and see no reason for immediate changes.”
Yet, criticism has been vocal, particularly from Ducati. Before the start of the 2024 season, reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia and Ducati Corse’s Gigi Dall’Igna voiced their concerns about the fairness of the new allocation process.
Despite these protests, Dorna is firm on its stance. The only foreseeable adjustment will come with the new technical regulations set to take effect in 2027.
“From 2027, all manufacturers will start on an even playing field, assigned to the same group initially,” Ezpeleta confirmed, hinting at a major shakeup in how concessions are handled in the long term.
For the 2025 season, no changes to the concession system or group allocations will be implemented. The final standings for 2024 confirm that KTM, Aprilia, Yamaha, and Honda remain within the same performance bracket as last year, trailing behind Ducati’s dominance.
With this consistency in results, Dorna is standing by the structure for another season, maintaining the status quo despite ongoing debate from within the paddock.
