So far this year there hasn’t been a single last-lap pass for the win, even though four races have been won by less than a second (Losail: 0.3 seconds, Termas: 0.8 seconds, Jerez: 0.3 seconds, Mugello: 0.6 seconds and Assen: 0.4 seconds). This tells the story of MotoGP in its current state – you can get close to the rider in front but it’s almost impossible to get past, unless you are considerably faster.
If Dorna executives want to keep the money rolling in they need to do something about this situation, because fans want battles, not processions.
And they are aware of the dangers of less-than-thrilling racing.
“It is a concern for us and sooner or later we are making a proposal to the manufacturers,” says Dorna’s director of technology Corrado Cecchinelli. “Motorcycle aerodynamics isn’t our concern, but having lots of people happy watching the racing and happy with the show is our concern.”
Many riders, engineers and factories believe MotoGP could go some way to fixing the problem by banning shapeshifters (also known as ride-height devices) and at least reducing the amount of downforce aerodynamics.
Right now it seems only Aprilia and Ducati are keen on maintaining aero at its current level. No surprise there because the two Italian factories have created by far the best aero systems on the grid. As for shapeshifters, everyone apart from Ducati would rather have them gone.
Again, no surprise here, because both these technologies were pioneered by Ducati, who can only be congratulated for its innovations. The job of a race engineer is to make the motorcycle faster around the racetrack, simple as that. And Ducati has done this with amazing creativity and clever engineering, transforming its Desmosedici into a very rideable motorcycle, which as a result won the last two constructors championships.
Factory rider Jack Miller summed this up nicely last month at Sachsenring.
“This year’s bike works really well, especially in the first sector,” said the Australian, who finished the German Grand Prix in third place. “I remember a few years ago wheelying the Ducati down the hill towards Turn 3 and it was like trying to turn a London bus. Now it feels more like a Mini Cooper, so it’s good.”
Shapeshifter malfunctions have become the most common cause of technical DNFs
So, would it be fair for Dorna to punish Ducati engineers for their creativity by banning their creations? And can Dorna actually do this?
Well, Dorna has already taken matters into its own hands. Usually, the MSMA (the manufacturers association) must ratify all technical regulations, but earlier this year Dorna bulldozed through that convention by unilaterally banning front-end shapeshifters (introduced by Ducati for the 2023 championship), from the end of this season. Ducati complained loudly, but to no avail.
So presumably Dorna is now free to repeat the process and unilaterally reduce downforce aero and ban rear-end shapeshifters?
Especially since Dorna could play the safety card. In recent races there have been several crashes and incidents caused by riders trying to brake while in the vacuum created by machines carrying a lot of downforce aero. And shapeshifter malfunctions have become the most common cause of technical DNFs, Aprilia’s Maverick Viñales almost losing control when his shapeshifter stayed locked down during the German GP. (It’s worth noting here that it’s the other manufacturers that usually suffer shapeshifter problems, not Ducati.)
So Dorna should be able to get rid of these technologies, right?
Maybe not.
Ducati has spent lots of of money transforming its Desmosedici from mid-pack wannabe into title contender via aerodynamics and shapeshifters, so the company will not want to give up its hard-won performance.