Satellite vs Factory MotoGP teams

On the MotoGP grid, there are two types of teams: Factory and Satellite. But what is the difference between them?

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Factory teams, such as Repsol Honda and Ducati Lenovo are directly connected with the manufacturer in terms of management and finances. Their riders have first-priority access to the latest specifications and upgrades. Furthermore, they work with top sponsors, engineers, and mechanics. It is no surprise every rider aims to snatch a spot in a factory team as they offer a higher level of support in different fields - technical, physical, psychological, etc. Not only teams have their own championship standings, the factories have one as well.

Satellite teams, such as HRC, or Gresini are usually run privately. They don't build their own bikes. Instead, they have a contract with a manufacturer to rent their bikes + technology (for example, HRC uses Honda bikes whereas Gresini uses Ducati ones). A complete motorbike can cost up to 2 million euros per season per rider. These agreements alco indicate what version of a bike they are allowed to use. However, more and more often we see satellite teams using the same specifications as their factory opponents. That is the example of Pramac as their riders have identical bikes to the ones in Ducati Lenovo. Other Ducati satellites, Gresini and VR46, use a year-old specification. But don't be mistaken, it isn't as black and white as it might seem.

Until 2016, however, satellite teams used to be at a huge disadvantage as the factory teams had more advanced technology and software, which significantly increased their on-track performance. Because of this, Dorna started a unification process to bring the field together. They successfully achieved it. Take this year's top 4 as an example: consisted of Ducati riders, there are two factory riders, and two satellites. Remarkable is that Marc Marquéz, with a year-old spec, can challenge his rivals with an up-to-date motorcycle. In MotoGP, the bike is no longer everything. The differences between factories and satellites are smaller than ever.

So, why do factory teams usually have at least one satellite? What advantages do they see? The first one is data, which are essential for developing a race winning - or even championship winning - bike. Since FIM reduced the number of test sessions, satellite teams mean much more data for analysis and future updates. Ducati with 8 bikes gathers much more data than Yamaha with only 2, giving them a significant advantage. The next one is new talents. Many of today's factory riders first started in a satellite team as it allows them to evolve as well as get noticed by spectators, teams, and sponsors. Fabio Quartararo started in Petronas Yamaha, Francesco Bagnaia in Pramac, Enea Bastiannini in Gresini. On the other side, a struggling factory rider can find a place in a satellite to prove themselves again.