Tickets costing €15,000: Unthinkable for the Pramac boss – but the direction is right

MotoGP has been part of Liberty Media since 3 July 2025. At that time, the US group acquired an 84 per cent stake in Dorna Sports, valued at around 4.2 billion euros. Carmelo Ezpeleta and his management team remained on board with a 16 per cent stake and continue to run the business – now as the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group. A year later, Paolo Campinoti, a long-serving team principal, took stock of the situation – and his assessment is mixed.

“Yes, I’m satisfied, even though I think certain things need to happen more quickly,” replied the Pramac owner on Andrea Migno’s podcast. He said there were two key factors: “Reducing costs and increasing revenue.”

Real change comes when you increase revenue.

Paolo Campinoti

On the second point, Campinoti was clear: “To increase revenue, you have to do things that are – it’s a bit of a dirty word to say – sexier,” he said. The aim is to attract sponsors. Either you accept that you’re an entertainment company, or you carry on as before. “If you keep saying, ‘We’re saving 100 euros on transport’ – yes, you’re saving money. But real change comes when you increase revenue, not when you cut costs.”

As an example of a miscalculation, he cited one of the most recent additions to the calendar. There, races were held in front of a small crowd – which isn’t viable for the teams. For the debut at the Balaton Park Circuit in August 2025, a total of 80,105 spectators were reported over three days – only Qatar had a smaller crowd. It is likely that Hungary will be missing from the 2027 calendar unless massive investments are made at the Hungaroring and the event is moved to Budapest.

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Campinoti would like to see more venues in Asia

When asked about new venues, Campinoti mentioned a market where MotoGP had already tried to gain a foothold a few years ago: “I would definitely race in India, because it’s a huge market.” “You have to position yourself where the market is.” MotoGP made a single appearance at the Buddh International Circuit in 2023, after which the Grand Prix disappeared from the calendar again due to difficulties, for example with customs procedures. Campinoti recalls things differently from what the reporting at the time suggested: “It was completely sold out, packed to the rafters, and everyone was happy.” He makes a similar point regarding Malaysia and Indonesia. Another market he’d like to see is China.

His assessment of Formula 1 is particularly interesting; he sees it not as competition, but as an opportunity: “Formula 1 now has a different target audience to ours; it has moved entirely upmarket – which has opened up a great deal of scope for us to position ourselves more broadly.” He pointed to the prices: a Paddock Club ticket there costs 15,000 euros, and even then there is a black market because no seats are available. MotoGP cannot and should not go down that route: “It’s not right and not conceivable for us to end up there – but positioning ourselves a step higher, certainly.”

Campinoti also believes other street circuits besides Adelaide are conceivable, provided safety can be guaranteed. Looking at those in charge, he is optimistic: Liberty and Dorna, “Carmelo and Carlos”, have this clearly in mind. “It’s just a matter of time. I don’t see any problems in achieving this.”