There are still eight races remaining in the 2026 season, with uncertainty surrounding the Qatar round, but much of the MotoGP grid is already looking ahead to next year.
That is hardly surprising, not only because several riders will change teams and take their careers in new directions, but also because 2027 will bring one of the biggest technical revolutions in MotoGP history.
It is already known that, in an effort to reduce straight-line speeds, the bikes will switch from 1000cc to 850cc engines, while their aerodynamic performance will also be reduced compared to the current regulations.
But the change that matters most to the riders concerns the tyres, with Pirelli replacing Michelin as MotoGP’s sole supplier.
Tyre characteristics and behaviour have a direct impact on riding style, which is why all of the riders would have liked the opportunity to try Pirelli at the end-of-season group tests. However, with several riders changing teams for 2027, not everyone has been given permission to participate in sessions dedicated to introducing the new tyres.
MotoGP lacks a GPDA to defend riders’ interests
This affects both factory riders such as Francesco Bagnaia, Jorge Martin and Fabio Quartararo, and those competing for satellite teams, including Enea Bastianini and Fabio Di Giannantonio.
This is where a crucial issue emerges: the absence of a truly united riders’ association weighs heavily on situations such as this, because there is no single voice representing the interests of the entire grid.
It is an issue that has been raised directly by the riders themselves. Unlike Formula 1, where the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) exists, MotoGP has no dedicated riders’ organisation, although the idea has been discussed.
It is understandable that an individual rider can object as a lone voice, but in situations like this there is strength in numbers. A united group could potentially have tried to persuade the manufacturers to change their position.
If the riders cannot find common ground on an issue that would benefit the entire grid, it will be difficult to do so on other matters too. That should serve as a warning for MotoGP.
Pirelli tyres
Photo by: Motorsport.com
“For me it would have been nice to try the Pirelli tyres, also here next Monday. I tried to negotiate with KTM to see if it was possible to test the bike, but they said no,” said Enea Bastianini.
“It would have been better for everyone to try the Pirellis before Valencia. It would have been better if it had been mandatory for everyone, but that is not the plan, it wasn’t scheduled for us.”
Many riders fear that they would only get one day of testing on Pirellis before the end of the year, at an atypical and cold Valencia circuit where running could also be disrupted by the weather.
Situations like this are not unprecedented when riders change teams, but the critical point is that some riders have already had the opportunity to try the Pirellis while others have not.
“I think having a riders’ association could help in these circumstances, because we will arrive in Valencia without ever having tried the Pirellis and we will have one day of testing, and if it rains, what do we do?,” added Bastianini, who will move from Tech3 KTM to Trackhouse Aprilia next year.
“We will have only a few hours, so it’s not right to arrive there without having tried the tyres. They should have made it possible and mandatory for all MotoGP riders, or at least those who will be riding next year, to try the tyres.”
Fabio Di Giannantonio, who will leave Ducati for KTM at the end of the season, echoed his fellow Italian.
“It’s really difficult because at the moment, as usual, we don’t have a riders’ association or anything like that. But at the moment even the riders who could be part of it could be against the other riders.
“It’s a complicated situation now and I think the parties involved can’t do much, apart from MotoGP itself, which can decide how much time a rider has available before the first race.
“Even the regulations we have for the training bikes are strict. Certainly, the situation is not the same for everyone.”
Enea Bastianini, Red Bull KTM Tech 3
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
What could have been done for riders changing teams?
As Pol Espargaro has also pointed out, there are riders such as Nicolo Bulega who will have significant experience of the Pirelli tyres by the time he makes his MotoGP debut next year.
That is not only because Pirelli is the tyre supplier in the World Superbike Championship, where he currently races in, but also because the Italian is actively involved in Ducati’s development of its 850cc MotoGP bike.
He can hardly be blamed for that, but it is understandable why several of his rivals are unhappy with the situation.
Once again, the lack of a common voice among the riders is apparent. But was there a solution?
The teams clearly do not want an outgoing rider to provide a rival manufacturer with information about the performance and characteristics of its 2027 bike.
However, it has not even been possible so far to run Pirelli tyres on the current prototypes, as part of an approach agreed with Michelin, other than an initial test conducted using modified and detuned bikes.
The basic idea was for the 2026 prototypes to continue testing with the current tyres, while the 2027 bikes would run with Pirellis, avoiding any overlap.
Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team
Foto di: Andreas Solaro / AFP via Getty Images
According to Bastianini, however, outgoing riders should have been given the opportunity to try the new tyres on this year’s bikes, ensuring everyone started from the same baseline.
“I don’t think we necessarily had to run the 850cc bike. The test would have been fine even with a 1000cc bike.
“At least we could have had some feedback to understand what to expect next year and what to work on. It seems like a small advantage, but in my opinion it’s quite a big advantage,” added the Tech3 rider, stressing that this would also have benefited the teams themselves.
“I don’t know why the organisers didn’t think about the test, about the fact that all the riders would have needed to try the Pirellis and not just one factory rider, but all the riders, because it’s an advantage for everyone.
“It’s not a disadvantage, because I can give feedback to the team while I am testing the tyres for the future. For me, it would have been an advantage for everyone, for the team and for the riders.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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