Ducati and Aprilia defend 850cc MotoGP safety case

The core argument from both manufacturers is that lap time alone is not the metric that matters — what the 850cc formula is designed to address is peak speed and the energy involved in crashes, not whether riders can still lap quickly. Dall'Igna and Rivola are essentially pushing back against a reductive reading of the data: a fast lap on a smaller engine does not invalidate the safety logic if the speeds at the most dangerous points on a circuit are lower. It is a distinction the paddock will need to hold onto clearly as the 2027 debate intensifies, because lap time is the number everyone can see, while crash dynamics are harder to communicate. How convincingly the manufacturers make this case publicly will matter as much as the engineering argument itself.