Ducati, Aprilia, and Honda were set for changes to their MotoGP concession rankings following the summer break, officials said Thursday. The adjustments, based on the manufacturers’ points scored during the second half of the previous season and the first half of the current season, will affect their testing and development allowances under the sport’s concession system.
Ducati will drop from Rank A to Rank B in the MotoGP concession system for the remainder of the 2026 season, officials confirmed Thursday. This change follows the summer break recalculation, which evaluates manufacturers’ points scored during the second half of the previous season and the first half of the current season. The demotion to Rank B increases Ducati’s allocation of private testing tires from 75 to 84 and reinstates its eligibility for up to three wildcard entries after about two and a half years without any under Rank A, according to MotoGP records.
Ducati, the reigning champions, had maintained Rank A by scoring approximately 96% of the maximum possible constructors’ points.
Aprilia will move up from Rank C to Rank B following the same mid-season concession review, sources confirmed. Prior to the adjustment, Aprilia shared Rank C with KTM and Honda, which provided moderate concessions including 93 testing tires and six wildcard slots. The upgrade to Rank B reduces Aprilia’s testing tires from 93 to 84 and cuts its wildcard allowance from six to three for the rest of the season, aligning its concessions with other Rank B manufacturers like Ducati. Despite the change, Aprilia’s engine homologation rules and basic testing rights remain similar to Rank C, with the main differences being the reduction in testing tires and wildcards, according to official MotoGP concession documents.
Honda, which began the 2026 season having moved up from Rank D to Rank C, will revert to Rank D after the summer break, regaining full concession access for the remainder of the year. This downgrade increases Honda’s private testing tire allocation from 93 to 115, the highest in the field, and restores its ability to conduct private tests with contracted race riders at any Grand Prix circuit, subject only to a 14-day blackout period before events at those tracks. Rank D also grants Honda expanded freedoms for engine changes, in-season engine development, aerodynamic updates, and a larger wildcard quota than higher-ranked competitors, officials said.
The concession system, introduced in 2024, ranks manufacturers from A to D based on the percentage of maximum constructors’ points scored within defined evaluation windows. The summer break recalculation uses data from the second half of the previous season combined with the first half of the current season—in this case, from the first race after the 2025 summer break in Spielberg through the last Grand Prix before the 2026 summer break at the Sachsenring in Germany. Points are calculated solely from the top-finishing bike per manufacturer in each Sprint and Grand Prix and converted into a percentage to determine the appropriate rank, according to MotoGP technical guidelines.
The rank assigned determines the manufacturer’s concessions package, which includes the number of test tires allowed, wildcard entries, permitted engine development, aerodynamic updates, and private testing rights. Rank A carries the fewest concessions, while Rank D offers the most extensive testing and development freedoms. Ducati’s shift from A to B narrows its disadvantage in testing compared to rivals, Aprilia’s move from C to B slightly reduces its mid-tier benefits, and Honda’s drop from C to D significantly expands its development tools, according to analysis by Motorsport.com and official MotoGP sources.
The concession system is designed to encourage manufacturers toward the mid-range Ranks B and C, with Rank A imposing heavy restrictions on dominant teams and Rank D providing maximum freedom to those with weaker results. The system has notably benefited Japanese manufacturers Honda and Yamaha when in Rank D, allowing them broad engine development and testing allowances to recover competitiveness, records show.
The current concession framework will conclude at the end of the 2026 season, with new technical regulations set to take effect in 2027. Under the new rules, all manufacturers will start from a common baseline in Rank B, effectively resetting the concessions landscape for the new technical era, according to official MotoGP announcements. The mid-season recalculations, such as the one completed this week, serve as the final adjustments before the system’s retirement.
