Now, this is a massive shift for the premier class. Meeting in Valencia on 23 November 2023, the Grand Prix Commission—composed of Messrs. Carmelo Ezpeleta, Paul Duparc, Hervé Poncharal, and Biense Bierma, alongside key officials including FIM President Jorge Viegas—unanimously agreed with the MSMA on a completely revamped MotoGP concession system.
Here is how the new hierarchy works for 2024. Factories will be split into four distinct ranks—A, B, C, or D—based strictly on the percentage of possible maximum points they accrue across two specific evaluation windows. The first window spans from the first event to the last event of the season, while the second runs from the first event after the summer test ban to the final event before the summer test ban begins the following year. Your rank dictates everything about your development freedom: permitted test days, available riders, wildcard appearances, engine allocations, engine specifications and freezes, aerodynamic update allowances, and the quantity of tyres supplied for testing.
Beyond the headline-grabbing concession overhaul, a wave of other rule changes arrives for the 2024 season. Safety protocols see several direct updates. From Wednesday onwards, using scooters on the track is strictly banned during event weekends, save for organization and circuit workers handling setup and maintenance. In a common-sense safety adjustment for race starts, Race Direction can now wave the white flag during the Warm Up lap of a Sprint or Grand Prix to signal that machine changes are permitted due to rain. Riders can dive straight into the pit lane to swap tyres or machines and start from the pit lane without taking a penalty, sparing them from the terrifying prospect of tackling a wet track on slick tyres.
Qualification and scheduling also receive tweaks. If a contracted rider fails to record a lap time to enter Qualifying due to 'force majeure', Race Direction holds the power to grant a special waiver. Over in Moto2 and Moto3, Friday morning's Practice 1 session is officially designated as 'Free Practice, not timed for Qualifying', granting teams desperately needed setup time following requests from all Moto3 squads and a large majority in Moto2. Furthermore, private test day limits in the intermediate and lightweight classes will now count for contracted riders only rather than the entire team.
Parc ferme procedures and technical policing tighten up too. Moto2 and Moto3 riders will now be weighed immediately upon arrival in the parc ferme area before any interaction with media or teams takes place. Meanwhile, the top three finishers of a race must head straight to the parc ferme and podium zone without stopping at pit boxes, though on-track celebrations still stand. To ensure absolute reliability, timing transponder positioning cannot be altered without prior approval from Timekeeping and the Technical Director. Finally, protective gear gets a standardized safety upgrade with a new FIM specific marking system for leather suits, gloves, and boots becoming mandatory across all classes.
