THE Grand Prix Commission (GPC) has decided that MotoGP teams should be allowed to use an extra engine in 2022, owing to the expansion of the calendar.
Back when the MotoGP calendar featured only 19 races compared to 2022’s 21 Grands Prix, the MotoGP rules stated that MotoGP teams could use seven engines for the season, and that teams with concessions could use nine.
After the third place of Aleix Espargaro in Jerez, Aprilia became the last MotoGP factory to lose its concessions, and had its engine allocation reduced from nine to seven for the season.
The new ruling from the GPC, which was the conclusion of a meeting of the Commission on 8 May 2022, means that all factories now have access to eight engines for the season, up from the previous seven. Any new manufacturers entering MotoGP (and therefore eligible for concessions status) will have a 10-engine allocation from now on.
The update to the regulations is in response to the expansion of the Grand Prix calendar in recent years, which means the 2022 season will be run over 21 rounds. Engine number eight will only be available after race 19.
Since the regulation has been updated mid-season, it might trigger a change in strategy from some teams. Until this point, they had been working to the understanding that all 21 races would have to be covered by seven engines. Now, those seven only have to do the first 19 races, which might mean the teams are able to run engines more aggressively.
