Marco Bezzecchi
With the 2025 premier class season now behind us, a new one approaches with one key change to MotoGP’s concessions rankings.
The factory Ducati team dominated once again, securing all three championships up for grabs through Marc Marquez’s sheer dominance atop their 2025-spec prototype.
Despite a rough start to the year, Aprilia cemented themselves as the second-best team on the grid through the impressive performances of Marco Bezzecchi.
Similar to Aprilia, KTM also had a clear flag-bearer during their campaign in 2025. Pedro Acosta showcased why he is tipped to be a future world champion through several fine performances that saw the Austrian constructor be given the last spot on the constructors’ podium.
Honda were the biggest surprise on the grid, and became the first constructor to be given a new rank since the format began.
On the other hand, it was more of the same for Yamaha, who desperately need their new V4 project to work in order for them to keep their star rider, Fabio Quartararo.
How does the MotoGP concession system work and how has it been calculated up to this point?
| Rank | Percentage of points | Test tyres | Private testing | GP Circuit testing | Wildcards | Engines x season | Engine spec | Aero updates |
| A | >=85% | 170 | Test rider only | 3 circuits | 0 | 7 to 8 | Freeze | 1 |
| B | >=65% <80% | 190 | Test rider only | 3 circuits | 3 | 7 to 8 | Freeze | 1 |
| C | >=35% <60% | 220 | Test rider only | 3 circuits | 3 | 7 to 8 | Freeze | 1 |
| D | <35% | 260 | All riders | Any GP circuit | 6 | 9 to 10 | Free | 2 |
The concessions rankings aim to level out the competition between each constructor on the MotoGP grid.
At the start of 2023, each factory was assigned a rank from A to D based on the percentage of points scored in the constructors’ championship over two specific windows: the full previous season and a rolling mid-season period.
The lower the rank, the more development freedom a team is granted in order for them to bridge the gap to the frontrunners.
The higher the rank, the more restrictions that are put in place to prevent teams from further building an advantage over the teams below them.
Rank A – Ducati
Ducati remains the only constructor in the top category of MotoGP’s concessions rankings, Rank A. The Borgo Panigale-based outfit ended 2025 with a dominant 94% of the total points up for grabs.
While this is a slight dip from their 98% score at the summer checkpoint, which can be partly down to Marc Marquez’s late-season injury, their formidable results remain unchallenged.
As a consequence, Ducati will continue into 2026 with no wildcards, a frozen engine spec, and the most restrictive testing limits out of every constructor on the grid.
Rank B – No one
Despite the close competition in the midfield, the second tier of MotoGP’s concessions rankings remains empty for the third consecutive season.
To reach this bracket, a manufacturer must score between 60% and 80% of the total possible points.
Aprilia came close to making a step up for the first time since the process was introduced, as they reached a record high of 51% following a late-season surge.
However, with Ducati hogging nearly all of the silverware and the rest of the grid currently hovering around the 50% mark, the gap to Rank B remains a hurdle for the rest of the field to clear in 2026.
Rank C – Aprilia, Honda and KTM
Honda is the headline mover of 2025, successfully graduating from Rank D to Rank C by the narrowest of margins.
Luca Marini’s P7 finish in Valencia provided the exact nine points needed to hit the 35% threshold, and the step up marks MotoGP’s first change in concessions rank for a constructor since the beginning of the format in 2023.
Honda were desperate to make the move up to Rank C, despite the limitations that the step up offers them. The move is certainly a step in the right direction for the once-dominant Japanese constructor.
They join Aprilia, who were carried by Marco Bezzecchi’s impressive pace in the second half of the season, and KTM, who rebounded from a difficult start to finish the year on 46%, thanks to the efforts of Pedro Acosta.
Rank D – Yamaha
Following Honda’s promotion, Yamaha are now the sole constructor occupying Rank D. While the Iwata-based outfit improved their point percentage to 30% by the end of the year, they remain in the most flexible tier for development
Rank D allows Yamaha to continue private testing with race riders and develop their engine throughout 2026, a crucial advantage as they transition to their newly unveiled V4 engine configuration.
How will MotoGP’s new 2027 regulations affect the concessions rankings?
When MotoGP’s new era of technical regulations takes effect in 2027, the MotoGP concession system will undergo a full reset to ensure a level playing field for the 850cc era.
All manufacturers that competed in the 2026 season will automatically start 2027 in Rank B, regardless of their previous dominance or struggles.
This means that the current frontrunners, Ducati, will lose their highly restrictive Rank A status, while struggling brands will lose the extreme flexibility of Rank D, placing the entire grid on equal footing for the first half of the season.
The rankings will remain static until the midway point of the campaign, where they will be revised based solely on performance during the first half of 2027.
This reactive approach allows MotoGP officials to immediately address any manufacturer that either excels in the new engine formula or falls behind, preventing a single factory from running away with the title.
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