MotoGP™ Winglets are an eye-catching design element of the ultra-fast, powerful prototype motorcycles used in Grand Prix racing. Any fan watching MotoGP™ in 2026 cannot miss these wing-like structures, which protrude intriguingly from the main body of the bikes, sculpted like something from an aircraft wind tunnel.
They were not present on MotoGP bikes 15 years ago. Yet now every manufacturer has them and engineers spend hundreds of hours developing and refining their shapes. As MotoGP bikes reach speeds of over 360km/h, these winglets can generate 35-50kg equivalent downforce, pressing the front wheel into the tarmac.
But why do racing motorcycles need that downforce and how did we get here? In short, the downforce they provide allows the riders to race effectively at even greater speeds than before, by giving the bike more grip on track, whilst also preventing wheelies and improving braking.
In our ultimate guide to this striking piece of prototype motorcycle design we’ll cover what winglets are, the physics of how they work, the history of how they arrived in MotoGP, the safety concerns that led to rule changes in winglet design, how they differ from F1 car wings, where the regulations stand in 2026 and what changes in 2027.
What role do MotoGP winglets play and why does a motorcycle need them?
MotoGP winglets work differently from F1 car wings. An easy way to understand how they work is to think of winglets like upside-down aeroplane wings. Whilst an aircraft wing generates lift (upward force), a winglet generates downforce (downward force).
As a MotoGP bike moves forward, air hits the angled surface of the winglet. This creates a pressure differential, with higher pressure above, and lower pressure below, which pushes the front of the bike toward the ground.
At 350km/h, modern MotoGP winglets generate approximately 35-50kg of downforce, a weight equivalent to that of a large dog pressing down on the front wheel.
Aprilia Racing's former Technical Director Romano Albesiano - who now works for Honda - explained the importance and impact of ground effect in MotoGP in this video:
Albesiano comments, “If we look at the winglet design reversed, we have something that could be an aircraft wing. That design generates a force, which is the lift that we experience when we take off on an aircraft. So if we take this principle and we just reverse it, with winglets in MotoGP we end up with the lower side of the wing having lower pressure than the upper side of the wing.”
“So then we get what we need on the motorcycle, a force opposite from the one on the aircraft, a force that pushes the motorcycle down, which increases the grip of the tyre on the asphalt.”
The functionality of MotoGP bike winglets is different to the front wings you will see in F1. On a racing car, front wings primarily improve grip and cornering speed, as downforce pushes the front tyres harder into the tarmac through corners. But F1 cars do not lean over, in the way that MotoGP bikes do.
MotoGP riders lean their bikes over at angles close to 65 degrees in corners and when they do so, the winglets and other aerodynamic inlets in the fairings create cornering downforce.
During cornering, as the bike leans over, the angle of the winglets changes relative to the airflow, generating lateral downforce that helps plant the tyre through fast corners.
On the straights, meanwhile, the main purpose of the winglets is anti-wheelie. MotoGP bikes have extraordinary power-to-weight ratios. Under full acceleration, the bike's combination of power, torque and relatively high centre of gravity can flip the front wheel skyward.
To counteract those forces, winglets push the bike’s front end down during acceleration, keeping the front wheel in contact with the tarmac and allowing the rider to accelerate harder without the electronics having to cut power to control a potential wheelie.
They also provide stability at high speeds. At 360km/h the front of a MotoGP bike can become light and unstable. Winglets act as stabilisers, keeping the front end planted with fewer movements.
Watch this: A look at the Evolution of MotoGP Aerodynamics in 3D:
Meanwhile, under heavy braking at the end of a straight - where downforce is at its maximum because the bike is at peak speed - winglets add front-end load that improves braking performance.
But there is an important trade-off for MotoGP race engineers to contemplate. Winglets also introduce aerodynamic drag, meaning they slow the bike on long straights. The engineering challenge is designing winglets that deliver maximum downforce benefit while minimising the drag penalty.
MotoGP winglets history: how they transformed MotoGP bikes from 2015
Before the Ducati-led winglet revolution, which commenced in 2015 and has seen them become universally used in MotoGP, there were earlier experiments with wings on Grand Prix racing bikes.
MV Agusta experimented with small front wings on Phil Read's 500cc GP bike at the 1972 Dutch TT and in 1978, Mike Hailwood's Suzuki RG500 also ran front wings. However, these were smaller, rudimentary experiments and they did not lead to widespread adoption of the technology.
The modern winglet era began in 2015 when Ducati introduced aerodynamic winglets on their GP15 machine. Ducati's powerful engine combined with the new unified Dorna electronics system (introduced to level the playing field in 2016) meant the anti-wheelie software was less sophisticated than the bespoke systems manufacturers had used before.
Winglets provided a mechanical solution to a problem that the new electronics of the time were not fully solving. The performance advantage was immediately apparent. Within a season, every other manufacturer was developing their own winglets.
The MotoGP winglet ban and the rebirth
By 2016, the winglets had evolved rapidly into large, protruding, multi-element structures made of sharp carbon fibre.
There were serious concerns about them being dangerous in crashes and capable of catching on other bikes during close contact. In 2016, the governing body of MotoGP, the FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme), intervened and the original protruding winglets were banned from 2017 onwards on safety grounds.
But the engineers found a way back and the regulations were reworded to permit ‘integrated’ winglets - where the aerodynamic surfaces and features are blended into the fairing, rather than simply attached.
In 2019, Ducati introduced a swingarm-mounted aerodynamic appendage – which can be described as a ‘spoon’ under the front of the bike. Though a legal challenge followed, the MotoGP Court of Appeal deemed it legal.
The regulations were subsequently expanded: any area of the bike with aerodynamic effect must now be declared as part of the ‘Aero Body’ and pass homologation with the Championship Technical Director before the season.
MotoGP’s F1-style aerodynamics era
Nonetheless, from 2022 onwards, the aerodynamic development race in MotoGP intensified dramatically.
All five participating manufacturers (Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, KTM and Yamaha) came into the 2023 season with F1-style aerodynamic packages, featuring multiple winglet elements, complex fairing shapes and air channelling louvres.
Aerodynamics became one of the last remaining areas where manufacturers could gain a meaningful performance advantage, with many other areas already tightly regulated in order to create a level playing field and to control costs.
Seat winglets - the latest chapter in MotoGP's aero arms race
In the second half of the 2025 season, Aprilia introduced a new type of winglet - aerodynamic appendages mounted under the seat of the bike, behind the rider's legs. Honda subsequently adopted similar seat winglets.
The innovation immediately prompted a safety debate, as some manufacturers argued the appendages were positioned too close to the rider's legs and could trap or injure a rider in a crash.
The FIM considered an immediate ban but in December 2025, the governing body decided to delay the ban until 2027, meaning seat winglets remained legal throughout the 2026 season.
This decision gave Aprilia and Honda, who had invested in the technology, a full extra season with their innovation, while other manufacturers worked to develop their own versions or find alternatives.
Watch this: There will be completely new bikes on the MotoGP grid in 2027 with aerodynamics more closely controlled:
Ahead of wider, significant 2027 changes to the rules of MotoGP, 2026 is therefore the last season where those seat winglets and indeed the front end winglets will be seen on MotoGP machines in their current form.
What the rules say: how MotoGP regulates winglets in 2026
The rules of MotoGP specify a limit on how far out the winglets can protrude (the maximum width of bodywork must not exceed 600mm) and that any protruding device must be integrated into the bodywork.
All aerodynamic elements on a MotoGP bike fall under the "Aero Body" definition in the FIM regulations and the Aero Body is defined as the portion of the motorcycle bodywork that is directly impacted by the front airflow while moving forward, and is not in the aerodynamic shadow of the rider or other body parts.
The rules specifically state: “Devices or shapes protruding from the fairing or bodywork and not integrated in the body streamlining (eg. wings, fins, bulges, etc.) that may provide an aerodynamic effect (eg. providing downforce, disrupting aerodynamic wake, etc.) are not allowed.”
All aerodynamic components must be homologated, submitted to and approved by the Championship Technical Director, before the start of each season.
Aerodynamic updates during the season are restricted through the MotoGP concessions system: manufacturers in concession ranks A/B/C may make one aero update per rider per season; rank D manufacturers may make two.
Winglets must not be dangerously rigid. They must have a maximum deflection of 10mm when a 50N load is applied, ensuring they flex on impact rather than acting as rigid blades.
The 2027 MotoGP reset - what happens to winglets next
The comprehensive new 2027 MotoGP regulations are specifically designed to reduce aerodynamics and rebalance the championship toward rider skill.
Nose bodywork will be moved rearward and maximum width is reduced, meaning smaller winglets. Part of the reason for this is to avoid the potentially negative effects of current MotoGP winglets, which some argue cause ‘dirty’ airflows behind them. This can have a significant impact on riders closely following others when they are about to overtake, resulting in instability around the front tyre of the trailing rider’s bike.
Meanwhile, also due to safety and cost concerns, ride-height devices and holeshot systems - which work alongside winglets to manage launch and acceleration - are banned entirely for 2027.
Seat winglets, which remained legal throughout 2026, are expected to be eliminated under the new rules.
The 2027 regulations represent the biggest reduction in MotoGP aerodynamics since winglets were first introduced in 2015. The intention is to reduce the dependence on expensive aero development and restore the spectacle of close racing.
The end of an aerodynamics era: A new chapter is ahead
The next time you watch a race start live or see footage of a 2026 MotoGP bike explode off the line, the front wheel kissing the asphalt as it rockets towards 360km/h, you're watching the product of a decade-long aerodynamic revolution. Winglets have transformed how MotoGP prototypes accelerate, brake and race, helping create the fastest Grand Prix bikes ever built.
Now with sweeping rule changes arriving in 2027, this extraordinary chapter in MotoGP engineering is in its final season. For fans watching in 2026, they have been witnessing the winglet era at its absolute peak.
Q: What are MotoGP winglets?
A: MotoGP winglets are aerodynamic appendages on the fairing of MotoGP racing bikes. They generate downforce - pushing the front of the bike toward the ground - primarily to reduce wheelie tendency during acceleration, improve braking performance and add stability at high speed.
Q: How much downforce do MotoGP winglets generate?
A: At speeds of up to 360km/h, modern MotoGP winglets generate around 35–50kg of downforce on the front of the bike - equivalent to the weight of a large dog sitting on the front of the motorcycle pressing the wheel into the tarmac.
Q: Why do MotoGP bikes now need winglets, when F1 cars have had wings for so many years?
A: MotoGP winglets and F1 front wings serve different primary purposes. F1 front wings mainly improve cornering grip. MotoGP winglets primarily prevent wheelies on the straights - because a motorcycle's high centre of gravity and extreme power-to-weight ratio makes it want to lift the front wheel under hard acceleration in a way a low-slung F1 car does not.
Q: Were MotoGP winglets ever banned?
A: Yes. The original protruding winglet designs used in 2015 and 2016 were banned from 2017 for safety reasons. They were made of sharp carbon fibre and could injure riders in crashes or hook onto other bikes during close contact. Engineers responded by developing integrated winglets blended into the fairing, which were permitted under the reworded regulations.
Q: What are seat winglets in MotoGP?
A: Seat winglets are a newer type of aerodynamic appendage, positioned beneath the seat of the bike behind the rider's legs. First introduced by Aprilia in the second half of the 2025 season and subsequently adopted by Honda, they generated a safety controversy and were almost banned before the FIM delayed any ban until 2027. They remain legal throughout the 2026 season.
Q: When are MotoGP winglets being banned?
A: The comprehensive 2027 MotoGP regulations are designed to significantly reduce aerodynamics, including moving nose bodywork rearward, reducing maximum width, and banning ride-height devices. Seat winglets are expected to be eliminated. The 2027 rules represent the biggest reduction in MotoGP aero development freedom since winglets first arrived in 2015.