Marco Bezzecchi
Jorge Lorenzo reflects on how the 2014 MotoGP rule changes impacted his fight against Marc Marquez ahead of the new 2027 MotoGP regulations.
Since retiring from MotoGP at the end of the 2019 season, Jorge Lorenzo has returned to the paddock on a few occasions, but in 2026 he is back in a new role.
Lorenzo has taken up a role as Maverick Vinales’ performance coach, which has seen him preparing the Spaniard for the upcoming Championship.
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However, at the end of 2026, new regulations will come into play for the 2027 season, which will see the engines change to 850cc, ride height devices will be removed, aerodynamics reduced, and the tyres will switch from Michelin to Pirelli.
With these changes upcoming, Lorenzo has reflected on how the regulation changes he experienced impacted his abilities on the track.
The 2014 rules completely changed Lorenzo’s Yamaha
Back in 2014, small rule changes were made for the factory teams, which Lorenzo believes heavily impacted his fight with Marc Marquez.
The factory squads’ engine allocations dropped from 12 to five, the fuel tanks were reduced from 24 litres to 20 litres, and Bridgestone only supplied medium and hard compound tyres.
Although these changes were only minimal when compared to the 2013 season, in which Lorenzo fought with Marquez until the final round, he was unable to mount a Championship challenge in 2014.
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Marquez went on to dominate the season with Honda and secured 13 race wins, compared to Lorenzo’s two wins with Yamaha.
In discussion with MotoGP’s official channels, via Mundo Deportivo, Lorenzo said, “People outside the paddock, the fans, can’t understand that a small change in the rules or in the bike, a small detail that doesn’t suit the rider, can change everything.
“In this environment, where everyone is the best of the best, the small details are very important. I remember when I was at Yamaha in 2014; the year before, I fought Marc Márquez for the championship. I was very strong, but then the rules changed; they put on harder tyres, reduced the fuel by two litres, and the bike changed completely.
“Perhaps from the outside it didn’t seem like much, but for me it changed a lot of things. My results were very bad at the beginning of the season.”
Could the 2027 regulation changes shake up MotoGP?
As previously mentioned, new regulations will come into play for the 2027 MotoGP World Championship, which are more major than the 2014 changes that Lorenzo experienced.
For the previous four years, Ducati have ruled the series, having secured the title with Francesco Bagnaia, Jorge Martin, and Marquez. It is expected that the Italian manufacturer will continue their domination in 2026, but this could change in 2027.
It is expected that the new regulations will see riders lap 2.5 seconds slower than the current generation of MotoGP machines, which many hope will result in better racing.
With ‘rumours’ that Ducati have issues with their 2027 machine, the MotoGP pecking order could change next season.
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