Lucio Cecchinello has confirmed that significant changes are on the way for Independent MotoGP Teams in 2027.
Since the British Grand Prix in June, LCR Honda Team Owner Lucio Cecchinello has been working as the president of the IRTA (International Road Racing Team Association).
The Italian succeeded Herve Poncharal in the role, and has been negotiating a new five-year deal, running from 2027 to 2031, for the MotoGP satellite teams with Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta.
Despite the new contracts for the Pramac, Tech3, Gresini, LCR, VR46 and Trackhouse teams not yet being signed, Cecchinello did confirm in an interview with GPOne that the deals had been confirmed.
"All the details for the new contracts between Dorna and the Independent Team have been finalised," Cecchinello told GPOne.com.
"The teams have agreed to and formally accepted all the details. It took a little longer because Carmelo [Ezpeleta] wanted to share all the relevant information with Liberty Media.
"But I am quite proud that all the teams decided to continue and that we reached an agreement with Dorna. The rest is just a legal formality."
'Existing satellite teams will gain greater prominence...'
The 56-year-old also went on to confirm that a report from the summer that claimed that there would no longer be a distinction between Factory Team and Independent Team in MotoGP was correct.
From 2027, they will be referred to as 'teams', like they are in Formula One. This change in rules could see the current Independent Team build their own MotoGP motorcycles.
The teams could order a chassis from one brand (i.e. Kalex or Boscoscuro) and install an engine from a different manufacturer (i.e. Ducati or Honda).
"It is good new for us. All the existing satellite teams will gain greater prominence as a result," he stated.
"To be honest, the factory teams have always had a stronger appeal for both riders and sponsors."
He added: "Ultimately, the existing manufacturers themselves have to decide whether they would just lease new 850cc engines to a team starting in 2027.
"We have seen such concepts in the past with Team Roberts, and also with WCM. As a passionate team principal, I support such a concept; it would really appeal to me.
"But in reality, hardly any team today has the skills and resources to have a chassis built, to work out the fairing and the entire aerodynamics. That is a very complex task that only the engineers from the motorcycle manufacturers' racing departments can accomplish.
"You also need access to a wind tunnel if you want to be competitive. I can't imagine a MotoGP team simultaneously acting as a constructor in the foreseeable future, like McLaren in Formula One, for example."
