Concessions: MotoGP half-time whistle reshuffles the rankings, Ducati drops to ‘B’ for the first time

The Bologna-based project has slipped back to ‘Rank B’ at the halfway point of the 2026 season. Over the past 12 months, the Desmosedici riders have fallen just short of the points required to remain in the top ‘A’ tier for the final six months of the current regulations period.

Since last year’s summer break, Ducati has scored 657 out of a possible 777 points, meaning the factory heads into this year’s summer break with 84.56 per cent of the total available points – just four points and 0.44 per cent below the 85 per cent threshold for ‘A’ tier.

Advantage: Ducati can field three wildcard entries

Ducati, which will remain in the second tier alongside Aprilia until the end of the 2026 season, can now take advantage of a few minor benefits, although these are unlikely to give the teams any significant edge. This is because the focus of development has increasingly shifted to next year’s new 850cc machines.

Ducati GP26 mit Doppelweltmeister Pecco Bagnaia

Foto: Gold and Goose

Ducati can thus benefit from 20 additional Michelin tyres for private test sessions, although this is likely to be of minor importance to racing director Gigi Dall’Igna given MotoGP’s imminent switch to Pirelli.

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However, its B-category status does give Ducati the opportunity to enter three wildcard entries – a chance that could well be used to get the prospective VR46-Ducati rider for 2027, Nicolo Bulega, up to speed.

Aprilia on a par with Ducati, KTM and Yamaha stagnate, Honda drops down

Behind Ducati, Aprilia has moved up from Category C to Category B thanks to a strong end to the 2025 season and an even more impressive start to 2026, which has reduced the number of tyres available for testing.

More importantly, however, this has also reduced the number of available wildcards from six to three – a measure that is likely to affect test rider Lorenzo Savadori’s plans for the rest of the year. He has already made one appearance at Jerez in 2026 and may be planning another when the series resumes at Silverstone after the summer break.

KTM remains in Group C, whilst Honda drops back to Group D, where it once again finds itself alongside its Japanese rival, Yamaha. However, being in Group D gives Honda the opportunity to deploy its race riders for testing purposes (which should make Johann Zarco’s return from injury easier) and to continue making changes to the bike’s current aerodynamic package ahead of the introduction of smaller wing packages and fixed rules for rear aerodynamics next season.

The balance of power among MotoGP manufacturers at the halfway point of the 2026 season:

MotoGP Concessions: