Marco Bezzecchi
Liberty Media will become the new owners of MotoGP after receiving clearance to complete their takeover. The announcement has generated considerable excitement within the sport.
Liberty have had a transformative effect on Formula 1 since acquiring the commercial rights in 2016. The series has grown enormously, with revenues surging across the board.
Lewis Hamilton has watched that entire process unfold. He’s one of only three drivers, along with Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, who has been on the grid for all of the Liberty-run seasons.
Dorna Sports have held the rights since 1992, but they can’t compete with the US conglomerate in terms of resources. They will receive £3.4bn, which is roughly what Liberty paid CVC for F1 nearly a decade ago.
Lewis Hamilton loves MotoGP – but says Liberty Media must modernise it
Speaking ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, Ferrari driver Hamilton was asked for his thoughts on the Liberty news. Hamilton is a ‘huge fan’ of MotoGP, calling it his favourite sport outside of F1.
That was evident when Hamilton held talks with Gresini over a potential investment deal last year.
There was also talk that Hamilton could inject money into KTM in the midst of their financial crisis over the winter. Neither of those deals materialised, but Liberty’s arrival could strengthen his interest.
The 40-year-old, who once rode Valentino Rossi’s Yamaha bike, has backed Liberty to repeat the ‘fantastic job’ they did with F1. He thinks the key lies in ‘modernisation’.
“I’m happy to hear that the acquisition is going ahead, I think it’s great for the sport,” he said, via Formula Passion. “Just look at where Formula 1 was when Liberty Media came in and where it is now, they’ve done a fantastic job in modernising our sport and I’m sure they’ll do the same there.
“There’s a huge amount of potential for improvement and modernisation in MotoGP and I’m a huge fan of the category. It’s by far my favourite sport to watch on television, what these riders do on their bikes never ceases to amaze me.”
Liberty Media are targeting MotoGP team boss to be the sport’s CEO
Dorna can’t be accused of standing still in recent times. They radically changed the weekend format in 2023 by introducing Sprint races, and then adopted a new brand identity at the end of last year.
But they may still be behind the times when it comes to marketing. While they have produced their own documentaries in-house and commissioned an Amazon series in 2021, MotoGP could have its own version of ‘Drive to Survive’ thanks to Liberty.
The Netflix show has been instrumental in growing the sport, particularly with younger audiences. Of course, Liberty will have to adapt their blueprint.
One paddock rumour claims Aprilia boss Massimo Rivola could become MotoGP’s CEO. This would replicate the role Stefano Domenicali has within Formula 1.
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