Due to limited availability of of the new Triumph engine, wildcard outings have been made unavailable for the 2019 Moto2 season.
Next year will see Moto2's biggest regulation shake-up since the class' inception in 2010, with the 600cc Honda engine being swapped out for a 765cc three-cylinder Triumph motor, while electronics will be used in the class for the first time.
With 2019 the debut year of Triumph's new grand prix engine, and no other series adopting similar technical specifications, concerns over availability of the engine have been raised.
As a result, following a meeting of the Grand Prix Commission, it was agreed wildcards would not be permitted for the 2019 intermediate class campaign.
![Alpine Managing Director Steve Nielsen [pictured with Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore] is stern in his belief Mercedes has acted correctly](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Alpine-Steve-Nielsen-Flavio-Briatore-120x86.webp)
“Due to availability constraints on the new Moto2 2019 engine, and the fact that there will be no machines of this specification in other championships, it was agreed that Moto2 wildcard entries will not be available in 2019,” an official statement from the GPC read.
At present, this is only for next year, with the statement noting the “situation will be reviewed for the 2020 season”.
Further minor updates to the regulations were also announced, the most notable among which an alteration to the procedure of signalling to a rider when they have to a drop a position.
Currently, a message is displayed on a pitboard for five laps after the penalty is awarded, as well as being displayed on a rider's dashboard.
As a rider has the notification available to them all lap now, it has been agreed the board message will only be displayed for three laps in a bid to stop numerous position changes taking place before the penalty has been taken.
The GPC also noted changes to the rules regarding replacement riders will be changed so that substitutes are not contracted to the Championship already.
This has come in response to fears raised that some teams could swap machines within its outfit or with another, which could help a rider who is close to exceeding their engine allocation for the season.
![Alpine Managing Director Steve Nielsen [pictured with Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore] is stern in his belief Mercedes has acted correctly](https://www.motorsportweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Alpine-Steve-Nielsen-Flavio-Briatore-350x250.webp)
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