How MotoGP concessions work and why they're more…

Cast your mind back to the 2024 MotoGP world championship, or maybe we should call it Ducati’s Championship. The Bolognese manufacturer had eight bikes on the grid – twice as many as its nearest competitors. At the Thailand Grand Prix, all eight of the Ducati’s bikes finished in the top 10 of the sprint race.

Of 20 races, Ducati won 19 of them, and we saw an all-Ducati podium 14 times. These bikes had become the stormtroopers and Ducati the Empire.

On average, MotoGP bikes are anywhere from 0.1-0.5 seconds faster each year, depending on the track and manufacturer. But, around some tracks, the Ducati riders were setting qualifying times nearly a second faster than those of the closest manufacturer.

Generally, the Italian machinery was 0.3-0.5 seconds faster per racing lap than the average of the grid, so in theory, even if Ducati halted development for a year, its bikes would still likely be faster than 2025-spec bikes from any other manufacturer. This is precisely why we need concessions.

Many MotoGP fans, including myself, were worried that we’d see historic manufacturers like Honda and Yamaha follow Suzuki and pull out from the championship. Concessions were praised as the answer to bring inter-manufacturer competitiveness back to MotoGP, but I was afraid it would be a case of pissing into the wind. I worried manufacturers would spend even more money on R&D, just to lose to Ducati by marginally less time, and ultimately exit the championship.

Thankfully, it looks like I was wrong and the extra concessions, particularly for the Japanese manufacturers, are yielding results.

The concessions are based on how many points a manufacturer won in the 2024 season, and that puts them into one of four tiers: A, B, C, and D.

Tier A

Ducati won more than 85% of the points in 2024, which means the Italian manufacturer is the only one in Tier A. Manufacturers in this ranking get eight engines for the season and they are frozen, meaning they can’t be developed throughout the season. Ducati won’t get any wildcards for the 2025 season.

Manufacturers in ranking A can conduct private testing at three circuits, only using test riders. They get 170 tires to test on throughout the season and can perform one aero update throughout the season.

Tier B

Tier B exists for manufacturers that win 60-85% of the points, but since Ducati had such a dominant 2024 season, no manufacturers are in tier B in 2025. Manufacturers in this ranking get eight engines for the season and they cannot be developed throughout the season. Brands in this tier get three wildcards, can conduct private testing on three circuits but only using test riders, have 190 sets of tires at their disposal, and only get one aero update.

Tier C

Manufacturers that take home 35-65% of the points are in tier C. This ranking is made up of KTM and Aprilia for the 2025 season. Manufacturers in this ranking get eight engines for the season, and development is frozen throughout the campaign. KTM and Aprilia both get six wildcards, and the wildcards can ride using any engines that are being developed.

Manufacturers in ranking C can conduct private testing at three circuits, only using test riders. They have 220 tires to test on throughout the season. Tier C manufacturers only get one aero update throughout the season.

Tier D

If you pick up less than 35% of the points, you fall into tier D, and this is where you’ll find Honda and Yamaha. Manufacturers in this ranking get ten engines for the season and they are allowed to develop them throughout the season, hence we saw Yamaha testing a V4 powerplant this year. Honda and Yamaha both get six wildcards, and the wildcards can ride using any engine that is being developed.

Manufacturers in ranking D can conduct private testing at any MotoGP circuit and use both factory and test riders. They have 260 tires to test on throughout the season. Tier D manufacturers get two aero updates throughout the season.