Marc Marquez: 'Speeds will be lower with 850cc bikes, but lap times will remain same'
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Marc Marquez believes MotoGP's next-generation bikes will be just as fast over a full lap as they are now, despite an expected drop in top speed.
MotoGP is set for a radical overhaul in 2027, with the introduction of smaller capacity 850cc engines, reduction in aerodynamics, a ban on ride-height devices and the switch to Pirelli tyres.
It's unclear how these changes will impact the way the bikes behave and how the riders will have to adapt to them. MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (formerly Dorna) has assured that the new rules will help reduce costs and make races slower, and, thus safer.
While three of the five manufacturers have already put their new prototypes on track, it's only when the 2027 season starts that they will be able to provide a definitive verdict on the new regulations.
For the moment, nobody expects a change as radical as the one seen in Formula 1 this year, where several drivers have been critical of the direction the series has taken.
Marc Márquez, Ducati
"Racing at 360 km/h is unnecessary for the spectacle"
At an event organised by one of his sponsors a few days ago, Marquez offered his views on what is the biggest change in MotoGP's modern history.
“When a new regulation is introduced, it is promoted by the championship together with the MSMA, which is the manufacturers’ association. They decided to lower the displacement, something with which I agree, above all because at many circuits it [the top speed] was reaching almost 360 km/h,” the reigning champion said.
“I think it is an unnecessary speed for the spectacle, and that it greatly increases the risk. It also carries another associated problem: that the run-off areas of many circuits were becoming small because every time you arrived faster. We need more run-off because, if there is a mistake, you see the wall closer and closer."
Like all other race riders, Marquez is yet to test a 2027 MotoGP bike.
“What they have done has been to adapt the bikes to try to reduce that maximum speed. However, I think the [lap] times at many circuits will be very similar and even faster, because you remove weight and horsepower (from the bikes), but you gain agility. We will see how it develops."
What is clear is that the Ducati rider understands that ‘nobody’ knows for certain how MotoGP as a series will be with the introduction of new 850cc bikes.
“Nobody can assure you that you will have the best bike (in 2027), nobody has a magic wand. As a rider I also don’t know if I will adapt faster than the others, but it is going to be a season of constant evolution,” the Spaniard said.
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