Marco Bezzecchi
Both Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have been linked with buying MotoGP teams throughout 2025.
Recently, ex-Haas boss Guenther Steiner completed a takeover of Tech3, signalling the first bit of true involvement from anyone linked to Formula 1 after Liberty Media’s successful bid to buy MotoGP this summer. They have even been handed guarantees for the 2027 season.
Running a team is no easy feat, as seven-time premier class champion Valentino Rossi knows all too well. His VR46 outfit benefits from a deal with Ducati, which has seen them compete near the front of the grid over the last few campaigns, but he himself is not overly involved.
Marc Marquez just equalled Rossi’s MotoGP record for titles, and is going to have a real chance to surpass him in 2026. The Italian legend will be hoping that his two riders, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli, can at least make the task difficult for him, otherwise, Marquez could beat Rossi’s tally of titles.
READ MORE: Marc Marquez shows how much he respects Valentino Rossi when asked about equalling MotoGP legend
Max Verstappen is now taking the same approach as Valentino Rossi as he looks to buy a MotoGP team
Earlier this year, it was revealed that VR46 is an ‘afterthought’ for Rossi, and something that he sees more as a business venture than anything else. In other words, winning is nowhere near as important to him as it used to be.
MotoGP fans slammed Rossi for handing a contract extension to current rider Morbidelli, despite some struggles in 2025. His ethos around ownership might have played a role in the decision, given that he’s more focused on the business side of things.
According to Matt Beer, Verstappen’s approach to running a MotoGP team could end up being similar to Rossi’s, with the Dutchman avoiding being ‘ultra-involved’ if he does buy an outfit.
“Also, I’m just going to throw in that there is a little bit of chat about Verstappen’s management team buying a MotoGP team at some point,” he said.
“As far as I understand, that’s like a maybe, rather than it is going to happen. I suspect Max won’t be ultra-involved in that one.”
How did Valentino Rossi set about creating VR46 Racing?
Unlike Verstappen would have to, Rossi didn’t have to buy a MotoGP team. He founded his own from scratch, first entering Moto3 in 2014.
His vision was for it to act as an academy for young talent, and in 2017, they took another giant leap and started competing in Moto2.
In their second campaign, Francesco Bagnaia claimed a title, and by 2022, they were running their own MotoGP operations for the first time.
It wasn’t something that happened overnight, but Rossi did a phenomenal job with his academy, and with someone like Bagnaia coming through it, it’s clear that it has worked.
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