THE FIM and Dorna are considering overhauling its so-called concession rules in an effort to help Honda and Yamaha regain competitiveness against the might of Ducati and the growing threat from KTM and Aprilia.
The governing body introduced concession privileges - such as additional days of testing, more opportunities to enter wild-cards and a larger allocation of engines - in 2016 as a way of helping new and returning manufacturers accelerate development and get to a level of competitiveness against established rivals quicker.
Back then, the rules were designed to help Aprilia, Suzuki - both returning to MotoGP after a hiatus - and the all-new KTM factory entry break down the margin to Honda, Yamaha and Ducati.
Once they had achieved a comparable level of competitiveness, the concessions were removed with Suzuki losing its privileges in 2019, KTM giving them up in 2020 and Aprilia the last to lose theirs in 2022.
As it stands, no manufacturer receives concession benefits, but this could change as a way of assisting Honda and Yamaha, which are languishing at the foot of the manufacturer standings.
“We are working on being able to help, not only Honda, but also Yamaha, so that they can be competitive again in a faster way,” Carmelo Ezpeleta told Catalunya Radio.
“Honda and Yamaha were very considerate with the concession rules in the past, and that was vital for Ducati to be competitive and also for Suzuki to be competitive so quickly, and for KTM and Aprilia to officially enter the World Championship and be competitive as well. Dorna's official position is that the concessions system should be updated.”