Hope and fear: the areas in which MotoGP intends to change

Everything we’re hearing today from fans, teams and manufacturers about the future of the championship following Liberty Media’s takeover of MotoGP has already been heard in very similar form just under ten years ago, when the US conglomerate took over Formula 1 in January 2017. Some traditionalists and purists have since lost interest in the premier class on four wheels, but globally, Formula 1 is experiencing an enormous boom.

MotoGP will never be as big as Formula 1 – everyone involved agrees on that. However, the two-wheeled camp is certainly hoping that Liberty will bring about an upswing, without getting carried away with utopian dreams. On 19 June 2026, the framework agreement between the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (formerly Dorna) and the manufacturers Aprilia, Ducati, KTM, Honda and Yamaha was announced, running until the end of 2031; this agreement sets out the commercial and sporting cornerstones.

Whilst the manufacturers have spoken positively about the agreement, many fans harbour concerns – or even fears – that under Liberty Media, their sport will degenerate into a circus where the spectacle takes precedence over everything else.

These ideas existed even before Liberty Media

Sporting Director Carlos Ezpeleta is trying to calm tempers and instead explain the areas in which MotoGP intends to present itself differently in the coming years. “Even before our organisation was acquired, we were looking at how we could distribute content more effectively across the media,” said the Spaniard. “We’ve looked at how the best do it and thought about our strategy. There are many fantastic stories in MotoGP – we want to convey to fans at home what it’s like to experience a MotoGP weekend live. We need to showcase just how fantastic our sport is. So far, this has been neglected in our TV broadcasts and on other platforms too. Of course, this won’t lead to massive growth, because over 3.5 million people already attend the events each year – you can’t increase that tenfold.”

We need to showcase just how fantastic our sport is.

Carlos Ezpeleta

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“We need to turn people into MotoGP fans in other ways,” emphasised Ezpeleta. “Anyone who comes to a race falls in love with the sport straight away. But we can’t get hundreds of millions of people through the gates. I’d like to say to today’s fans that we want to win over new fans using the same things that won them over in the first place.”

Carlos Ezpeleta, Sportdirektor der MotoGP

Foto: Gold and Goose

The MotoGP manager noted that this would require breaking new ground in terms of public image and communication. “We can definitely still gain more fans in France, Spain or Italy,” remarked Ezpeleta. “However, there are greater opportunities in other markets. Compared to other sports, we already have a fairly young and very committed fan base. There are likely to be more female fans; we need to show them the right way in. Put simply, we need to make it easier to become a MotoGP fan. We’re in this business because we want to ensure that this sport means as much as possible to as many people as possible. There are various ways to achieve this – through merchandise, content and the personalities of the riders. We need to channel all of that.”

We must ensure that it becomes easier to become a MotoGP fan.

Carlos Ezpeleta

The current format will remain in place

At least in the medium term, there will be no changes to the format. The three World Championship categories – MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 – will remain, albeit with a different technical concept in MotoGP and Moto2 from 2027, and in the entry-level class from 2028. It will also continue to be the case that a race weekend spans Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with a MotoGP Sprint taking place on Saturday alongside the Grands Prix on Sunday.

“We are very happy with this format,” emphasised Ezpeleta Jr. “Not everyone will ever be satisfied, but the five manufacturers and we are. There will always be discussions about certain things, such as whether or not there should be a warm-up in MotoGP.”