Rules MotoGP

The rules

Practice

With the introduction of a sprint race on Saturday afternoon, MotoGP riders have had two longer free practice sessions on Fridays since last year, 45 minutes for FP1 and 1 hour for FP2. The top ten finishers from these two sessions go straight through to Q2. FP3 becomes a session similar to what FP4 has been until now, meaning that the times set there are not taken into account for qualifying. The two fastest drivers in Q1 join the ten already selected for Q2, which is used to establish the starting grid for both the Saturday afternoon sprint race and Sunday's Grand Prix. Each row is made up of three drivers. To qualify, a driver must have clocked a time at least equal to 107% of the time recorded by the fastest driver.

Races

The MotoGP World Championship comprises 22 Grand Prix. Each race lasts between 40 and 45 minutes over a distance of between 100 and 130 km, depending on the circuit. Points are awarded to the top 15 finishers according to the following scale: 25, 20, 15, 13, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 pt. Since 2023, a sprint race has also been part of the programme on Saturday afternoons. It takes place over half the distance of the Sunday Grand Prix and only the first nine finishers score points for the world championship ranking. The scale is as follows: 12 points for the first, 9 for the second, 7 for the third, and so on down to the ninth.

Technical regulations

The MotoGP world championship is contested by 1000cc prototypes. Riders have 7 engines at their disposal for the entire season. Since 2017, all the teams have used the same electronic management system supplied by the championship promoter. Each rider has a limited tyre allocation, and motorbikes can carry no more than 22 litres of fuel. This year, the concessions system has been updated. Concessions are calculated in two stages. The first period runs from the first to the last race of the season. The second runs from the first event after the ban on summer testing to the last event before the start of the ban on summer testing in the following season. Plants are ranked in four categories - A, B, C or D - according to the percentage of maximum possible points they have accumulated in each period. This ranking determines the test days and riders allowed, wildcard appearances, the number of engines, engine specifications and freezing, aerodynamic innovations and the number of tyres supplied for testing.

The bikes

• MotoGP
• Displacement: 1000cm3
• Horsepower: 280 hp
• Weight: 158 kg
• Maximum speed: 350 kph
• Max fuel tank capacity: 22 liters

History

History TotalEnergies started out with the ELF brand and has been involved in motorbike Grand Prix racing since 1973. Over the years, the expertise of the TotalEnergies laboratories has continued to grow, with the development of tailor-made fuels and lubricants to meet the specific needs of various partners. There has also been no shortage of sporting successes. As early as 1974, Phil Read won the 500 Grand Prix to give the French oil company its first premier class title. Between 1978 and 1986, ELF contributed to the development of new technologies by financing the projects of brilliant engineers such as André De Cortanze. During this period, a number of drivers made their mark with the support of the French oil company. Such was the case of Raymond Roche, who finished fourth in the 1984 world championship under the Total banner. In addition to its many victories, the Group played a major role in the development of racing motorbikes, as demonstrated by the innovative technical solutions developed for its ELF X and ELF E motorbikes, which are protected by 18 technological patents. In 1991, Elf joined forces with HRC to support the official Honda team. Wearing the ELF logo, Loris Capirossi won his second 125 World Championship title. Three years later, the French brand was alongside Mick Doohan, who won the first of his five 500 world championship titles. 1996 saw Olivier Jacque take his first world championship win in ELF colours. The following season, a new 500 Grand Prix bike was created on the initiative of Michel Métraux, the importer of ELF products in Switzerland. In 2001, ELF accompanied the Tech 3 team as it moved up to the premier class. Five years later, the brand was alongside Kawasaki as it made its return to Grand Prix racing in the MotoGP category. The Japanese manufacturer took advantage of the experience of ELF engineers to intensify the development of its ZX-RR. It was then Lucio Cecchinello's Honda LCR team, followed by the Marc VDS team, which benefited from ELF's support to shine in MotoGP. The former with Randy de Puniet, Toni Elias and Stefan Bradl, the latter with Scott Redding and Jack Miller, the latter even taking his first premier class win with the Belgian team. More recently, the Tech 3 riders of the Pierer Mobility group have also worn the ELF colours.

Update in March 2025