Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP could be set to transform if Liberty Media can complete their takeover of the sport in 2025.
The owners of Formula 1 have agreed a deal to acquire 86% of Dorna Sports – the current commercial rights holder of MotoGP – worth around £3.5bn, with the takeover subject to approval from the European Commission.
Liberty Media have enjoyed incredible success with growing F1’s global audience, particularly in the US market with the popular Netflix series Drive to Survive.
And the American company are looking to replicate that success in the world of motorcycle racing as they look to take over MotoGP and expand the premier class’ global reach.
Fonsi Nieto warns Liberty Media that can’t rely on Valentino Rossi to grow MotoGP’s audience
There have been rumours that certain MotoGP events will be placed on the same weekend as F1, which would astronomically improve the sport’s audience around the world and expose the championship to new fans.
But while Liberty Media will have their plans, Pramac rider performance director Fonsi Nieto has warned MotoGP’s new prospective owners that they cannot rely on Valentino Rossi to ‘get fans back.
Nieto says it was ‘logical’ that the sport’s viewership would drop after the seven-time champion retired from the sport in 2021, but the 46-year-old is confident that new fans will come the championship and help grow the sport under Liberty’s ownership.
“Losing Valentino Rossi is not easy, he was the Michael Jordan of motorcycles when he retired. So it is logical that there is a drop in audiences because of all the thousands and hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of fans that Valentino had. Now they have to get fans back,” he told Europa Press.
“It is also very important that in Spain the races used to be broadcast on free-to-air television. Now they are pay-TV channels, so it is logical that fewer people watch them, but the World Championship is growing.
“This year, with the new logo and all the things that have happened and the spectacular World Championship we have, I am sure that many new fans will come and the World Championship will grow more and more with more young people following it”.
Can Jorge Martin defend his MotoGP title with Aprilia in 2025?
Heading into the 2025 season, Jorge Martin is the rider to beat after he became the first independent team rider to win the championship last year with Pramac.
The Spaniard beat factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia to the title by 10 points and was meant to be linking up with the Italian for 2025, but was snubbed of the seat over six-time champion Marc Marquez.
Subsequently, Martin has signed with Aprilia for next season as he becomes their factory driver for the first time. Pramac will enter their partnership with Yamaha in 2025 as they part ways with Ducati entirely.
Bagnaia and Marquez will certainly be the ones to beat this season with Ducati, but Martin will be eager to compete at the front and build Aprilia up as a title contender. Maverick Vinales secured the only non-Ducati victory in 2024 with the team in Austin.
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