The headline technical change for 2007 was a reduction in maximum engine displacement from 990cc to 800cc across the MotoGP class. Speculation had suggested Honda, already operating more compact engine architectures, would benefit most from the transition. In practice, the opposite occurred: Honda struggled significantly with the new formula, while Ducati's 800cc Desmosedici proved devastatingly fast in a straight line and well-suited to Stoner's aggressive, late-braking riding style.
The regulation shift also introduced new tyre restrictions, capping the number of slick tyres available to each rider per race weekend at 31. The performance window of Bridgestone tyres relative to Michelin's more track-specific compounds became a meaningful factor, with Bridgestone's broader operating range suiting a wider variety of conditions.
Stoner entered 2007 as a second-year MotoGP rider with flashes of raw pace but without a race victory. He converted immediately under the new regulations, winning 10 of the 18 rounds to clinch the title with multiple races remaining. His 125-point winning margin remains one of the largest in the modern MotoGP era.
Valentino Rossi, champion in five of the preceding six years, kept pace with Stoner for the first half of the season before the Australian began to pull decisively clear. Rossi ultimately finished third in the standings, with Dani Pedrosa taking second. Stoner's Ducati teammate Loris Capirossi, an experienced Grand Prix veteran, found the same machinery much more difficult to exploit, highlighting how tailored the title-winning package was to Stoner's particular skill set.
Stoner's title was the first premier-class world championship for Ducati and the first time since 1974 that any manufacturer other than Honda, Yamaha, or Suzuki had won the premier-class riders' title. It also ended a period in which Japanese machinery had monopolised the premier class across the entire four-stroke MotoGP era from 2002 onward. Ducati's 2007 constructors' title accompanied the riders' crown.
The Italian manufacturer's straight-line advantage over the field at circuits with long full-throttle sections was particularly pronounced. Critics noted that the bike's handling through slower corners was a weakness, which Stoner alone seemed able to manage consistently at race pace.
Jorge Lorenzo took his second 250cc world championship in 2007, an early sign of the talent that would go on to three MotoGP titles. In the 125cc class, Hungarian rider Gabor Talmacsi claimed the title.
Calendar changes for the season included the Qatar Grand Prix replacing Spain as the season opener, and the return of the San Marino Grand Prix at the Misano World Circuit after an 18-year absence. Only the MotoGP class competed at the United States Grand Prix due to Californian emissions legislation preventing the two-stroke 125cc and 250cc machines from racing.
Stoner's 2007 championship was among the most emphatic title victories in the modern era, defined by a combination of the right rider, the right machinery, and the right moment in regulatory history. It confirmed Ducati's position as a serious MotoGP constructor and made Stoner, then 21 years old, one of the most talked-about talents in the sport. His title would remain Ducati's sole MotoGP riders' championship for more than a decade, until Francesco Bagnaia's consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023.