FIM set to enforce MotoGP engine freeze

FIM’s Grand Prix Commission is set to approve a freeze to engine development in MotoGP until the new regulations come into force in 2027.

Autosport has learned the GPC aims to ratify this change at its next meeting, provisionally scheduled in the run-up to the next round of the season in Misano.

However, the two Japanese manufacturers, Honda and Yamaha – which currently benefit from the concession rules – will be exempt from the freeze, provided they do not achieve stronger results that might lead to a change in that exemption.

The engine freeze strategy had already been implemented in MotoGP in the past as a response to the havoc wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic. On that occasion, engines were frozen from the beginning of 2020 until the end of 2021.

The move is part of an initiative by the governing body to keep costs under control, with less than three seasons remaining under the current technical framework before the announced shake-up in 2027.

After that, the 1000cc engines will be replaced by a smaller 850cc version, and this will be accompanied by a considerable restriction on aerodynamic elements and other devices such as height adjusters.

Teams are currently obliged to homologate their engines before the first round of the calendar. The stewards from the teams’ association (IRTA) are in charge of the process of sealing the power units, and of the checks that are carried out during the year.

Once the green light is given, the power units will be homologated, at the latest, in the run-up to the season-opening Thai Grand Prix on 2 March next year.

If these components cannot be modified until after the last race, the specification certified in Buriram will have to be the same as the one used until the end of 2026.

There are a few exceptions that do allow for modifications, for example, if it can be demonstrated that the intention behind breaking the seal is for safety reasons.

In August 2020, Yamaha requested to open the M1 engines of Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales, citing a problem with the valves, in a request that led to considerable distrust from the other representatives of the Manufacturers’ Association (MSMA).