Marc Marquez just showed Liberty Media the first MotoGP rule they urgently need to change when they take over

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Marc Marquez secured what proved to be another easy victory in the MotoGP Sprint race at the Italian Grand Prix on Saturday. The Ducati rider overcame an issue at the start to pick up the maximum 12 points.

The Sprint threatened to explode into life when polesitter Marquez effectively gave his rivals a headstart. A last-minute settings change meant he set off a beat later than the bikes around him.

However, Marquez avoided a major drop down the order and promptly carved his way back into the lead. The fans at Mugello were treated to a rare tussle between the Spaniard and Francesco Bagnaia, though they didn’t get the outcome they desired as the Italian lost out.

Alex Marquez was accused of making it too easy for Marc at Aragon last time out, and his defence of first place was fairly tame once again here. The older sibling proceeded to control the race, even though he didn’t pull out of the one-second barrier until the closing laps.

Liberty Media need to change MotoGP Sprints when they complete Dorna deal

The Grand Prix of Italy is the ninth round of the 2025 season, and Marquez has now won eight of the Sprints. Alex’s victory at Silverstone is all that’s denying him a clean sweep, and even then he was second.

Remarkably, the Gresini rider has been the runner-up in all the other Saturday races. And this was the fifth time Bagnaia has been third.

In fact, no rider outside Ducati has celebrated a Sprint podium this year. The half-distance events have, from the fans’ perspective, been painfully predictable.

Ducati remain the dominant force in MotoGP, but Sundays have been less predictable. Marquez’s win rate drops to 50%, with Honda and Aprilia both gracing the top step.

The Grands Prix in Austin, Lusail, Jerez and Le Mans have all been rather chaotic after fairly processional Sprints. So there’s reason to believe this is a Saturday-specific problem.

It’s highly unlikely that incoming owners Liberty Media scrap the Sprints, which were introduced in 2023. After all, they introduced the format to Formula 1 four years ago, and they’ve since become a staple of the calendar – albeit at 25% of the races.

But the US conglomerate need to shake up the rules, otherwise the uneventful Saturday races could actively harm their efforts to attract new fans. There will be disagreement as to what exactly needs to change, but that’s where their experience from F1, where they have already tweaked the format multiple times, could help.

What Liberty will think of Marc Marquez boos at Italian Grand Prix

Liberty’s £3bn takeover of MotoGP is set to go through imminently. The EU are expected to grant unconditional approval before the 1 July deadline.

The consensus is that they need to do a better job than predecessors Dorna at marketing the personalities within the sport. This has been crucial to F1’s recent surge.

The only real superstar left on the grid is Marquez. The 32-year-old is gunning for his seventh premier-class title this year and has just taken his 100th Grand Prix pole.

Marquez was booed by the Italian GP fans on Saturday, a legacy of his bitter battles with Valentino Rossi. Liberty may be realising that they need another great rivalry to emerge to revitalise the sport.