How Formula 1 has driven MotoGP's changing nature

The last great contribution of Japanese manufacturers to top-level MotoGP competition was the seamless gearbox, introduced by Honda in 2011. At the time, it was a groundbreaking innovation in MotoGP. But the system, which allowed seamless shifting, had been used in Formula 1 for years and HRC engineers simply adapted it to the bikes.

Before the end of that same year, Ducati had managed to copy and incorporate the seamless system, although needed more than a year to perfect the change. Yamaha didn't have it until 2013, while the rest of the manufacturers could not finish developing it until two years later.

It was the synergy between the engineering departments within Honda that facilitated the incorporation of F1-inspired technology. And ever since, the gaze of two-wheel engineers has often been fixed on the 'other' paddock, with the intention of importing new solutions to increase performance. Aerodynamics was the most explored field, especially by Ducati. In this transition, the Japanese constructors went from leading the way to lagging behind their European counterparts.

PLUS: Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era

In recent years, in addition to these ideas, some teams went further by directly importing F1 talent. Aprilia is the clearest example of this, having signed former Ferrari sporting director Massimo Rivola from Toro Rosso at the end of 2018 to become CEO of the Noale house's racing department. Since the Italian's arrival, Aprilia has gone from being an inconsequential team in the world championship to fighting for the title with one of the best bikes on the grid. Coincidence? No.

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Rivola's hiring allowed technical director Romano Albesiano to focus on development, forgetting about the management and organisation of the team. In addition, Rivola implemented structural changes and hired consultants with proven F1 experience, such as renowned engineer and former Ferrari engine chief Luca Marmorini.

After leaving Maranello, Marmorini set up an office with which he intended to assist in the development of racing car engines. But one of his greatest successes has been his collaboration in the growth of Aprilia's RS-GP, the most balanced bike on the grid in the eyes of many. Now, Yamaha has roped in Marmorini to try and rescue those horses that Fabio Quartararo is so desperate for.

Massimo Rivola's arrival at Aprilia has spurred it on to new heights

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

"It's good and it's bad," Quartararo replied when asked by Autosport if it is positive that MotoGP is looking resolutely towards F1. "On the one hand, these components make us go faster and faster. But, on the other hand, it makes our sport much more complicated."

The 2021 world champion admits that, in terms of development, the Japanese houses have lost ground to the European ones.

"Basically the Italian brands, which are the best at introducing these gadgets, are always trying to fine-tune as much as possible and go to the limit of the rules," the Frenchman continued. "They are playing their cards very well and have taken a step forward compared to the Japanese."

Ducati has also set its sights on F1, especially in a field as complex as aerodynamics. With the signing of Gigi Dall'Igna in 2014, one of the technical eminences of the championship, the Italian house made a very significant leap in development. But even before Dall'Igna's arrival, the Borgo Panigale factory was looking sideways at F1, and even hired a former Ferrari engineer in Max Bartolini.

"MotoGP has become a championship in which engineers have gained much more weight than they had before. In that context it helps a lot to bring technicians of the calibre of those in F1" Andrea Dovizioso

"I think it's good to look at F1," said Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia, when asked the same question as Quartararo. "Anything that helps us to improve potential and gain performance is positive and adds up, so it's fine with me."

However, the Italian differs from Quartararo in reference to whether the Japanese manufacturers have 'slept' in the face of the advance of the Europeans.

"Yamaha leads the world championship, last year it won the championship and in 2020 it was won by a Suzuki," warns Bagnaia, who harbours ambitions of ending Ducati's long wait for a first riders' title since Casey Stoner in 2007. "So, for the moment, the Japanese brands are winning. Surely we Europeans are improving, but we are still missing something." 

Quartararo recognises that the influx of F1 expertise has made MotoGP more complex

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Analytical and reflective, the opinion of three-time MotoGP runner-up Andrea Dovizioso is always one to be taken into account. The RNF Yamaha rider, who during his time at Ducati had many clashes with Dall'Igna over the direction of the Desmosedici's development, believes it's enough to take a look at the timesheets and the large number of podium contenders every Sunday to conclude that the quality of engineering is more important than ever.

"In recent years, MotoGP has become a championship in which engineers have gained much more weight than they had before," he told Autosport. "And in that context it helps a lot to bring technicians of the calibre of those in F1, it is the direction we have been going in for years.

"The bikes are now ridden differently; many aspects have been introduced that help the rider, because the engineers have completely taken the initiative in the projects. We have to recognise that the change is working. Whether we like it or not, that's the way it is."

It may seem circumstantial, but there is data that proves how unpredictable the MotoGP championship has become with the greater incidence of engineers, reducing the relevance of 'the rider factor'.

One example is that in the last three years three different riders have won the title with three different bikes: Marc Marquez (Honda) in 2019, Joan Mir (Suzuki) in 2020 and Yamaha's Quartararo (Yamaha) in 2021. That's something which hadn't happened since Nicky Hayden (Honda), Casey Stoner (Ducati) and Valentino Rossi (Yamaha) won in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Never before have four different riders and brands managed to win the premier class in consecutive years, but that could materialise this year should Aleix Espargaro and Aprilia translate their recent strong form.

Another clear change in trend concerns the number of different riders that have won MotoGP races. Between 2019 and 2022, 15 different riders have graced the top step of the podium, which was unthinkable just a few years ago. Between 2013 and well into 2016, all the victories were shared by Marquez, Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, and Dani Pedrosa.

As the differences get increasingly tighter, it is enough to look at any practice classification of the last few seasons to see that between the top 20 there is less than a second. The margins that dictate whether a rider makes or misses Q2 are in most cases in the region of a few thousandths of a second.

Again, consider Aprilia. In 2019 Espargaro crossed the finish line in the Argentine Grand Prix race ninth after 42m08.980s, 25.292s behind winner Marquez. This year, Espargaro won at Termas, completing the race in 41m36.198s, more than half a minute faster.

The changing landscape of MotoGP was illustrated by Espargaro's victory in Argentina for Aprilia

Photo by: MotoGP

So what do they think on the other side of the pond? Autosport spoke to a hugely experienced former Ferrari engineer to understand if it's good for MotoGP to look at Formula 1.

"In F1 there are some areas that are much more advanced than in MotoGP," explains this renowned technician. "From aerodynamics, engines, gearbox, suspensions, or simply the management of working groups of engineers from different areas - in MotoGP the size of the teams is smaller."

It is this last point, in addition to budgets, where MotoGP's shortcomings compared to F1 is clear. The smaller size of the teams means that there is less specialisation and that some members of the team have to do a bit of everything. This is one of the points the former Ferrari engineer highlights, when asked what F1 personnel and talent can bring to the table.

"Above all, experience in other technologies and specialisation," he explains. "An F1 team is made up of 1,500 people and a MotoGP team is much smaller. Knowing how to manage these people, putting them in the areas where they are needed and making sure that no one steps on each other's toes or hurts each other, is important in F1 and will be vital in MotoGP as the teams grow. All F1 teams went through this apprenticeship as they grew up."

In MotoGP, it is a small group that is in charge of the whole bike. The experience and mistakes already made in F1 can be decisive in saving time in MotoGP

The MotoGP prototypes are enormously sophisticated, no one doubts that, but there are still elements that could be improved.

"MotoGP has been adapting technologies from F1 over the last few years," continues this engineer. "Seamless shifting has been in F1 since 2005. Pneumatic valves have been in F1 for more than 30 years. Twenty years ago, when F1 engines were naturally aspirated, they were already giving more than 300 horsepower per litre. There is a lot of technology that can be passed from one side to the other."

And let's not forget the aspect that has grown and transformed MotoGP the most in recent years: aerodynamics. Despite this, in the view of most F1 experts, that field is still in its infancy in MotoGP.

Aerodynamics are still in their relative infancy in MotoGP, with without the level of specialisation that larger F1 teams benefit from

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

"This area is small in MotoGP, but decisive in F1," says the engineer. "The technology transfer can be huge; from how to use CFD (computational fluid dynamics), to how to work in the windtunnel. In an F1 team, there are 120 people just dedicated to aerodynamics, divided into working groups.

"In MotoGP, it is a small group that is in charge of the whole bike. The experience and mistakes already made in F1 can be decisive in saving time in MotoGP."

It's not about copying F1 or about turning MotoGP into F1 on two wheels. It is about taking advantage of the years of experience, organisation and technology that the pinnacle of car racing has over its motorcycle racing equivalent to get the best out of it, saving steps and avoiding making the same mistakes.

Could Rivola be the first of an influx in ex-F1 staff arriving in the MotoGP paddock?

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images