Dorna already knows the perfect MotoGP calendar as Carmelo Ezpeleta teases races on F1 street tracks

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Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta has opened Pandora’s box after Liberty Media’s takeover of MotoGP by claiming the series is open to staging races on some F1 street circuits.

The top tiers of two- and four-wheel motorsport are set to enjoy closer ties than ever before after F1’s owner, Liberty Media, finalised a deal to buy 86% of MotoGP’s promoter Dorna for £3.7bn in July. Dorna’s management retained the other 14% shares in the equity of MotoGP.

Now, anticipation is building for what Liberty can achieve in MotoGP, having made F1 one of the world’s most popular sports. Its approach to social media and desire to take races to the fans revolutionised the four-wheel championship, after buying the series for £3.3bn in 2017.

Dorna CSO Carlos Ezpeleta has ruled out expanding the MotoGP calendar past the record 22 rounds seen in the 2025 season, given it yields 44 races between the Sprint and Grand Prix races. But CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta is open to changing the schedule to grow MotoGP.

Albert Park is F1’s only street track that MotoGP could race on by moving its Australian GP

Ezpeleta raised a lot of attention while attending the 2025 F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is one of the four-wheel series’ eight races held on street tracks among its 24 rounds, after he claimed that MotoGP could stage some races on F1 street circuits if there is enough run-off.

READ MORE: Everything to know about the Australian Grand Prix, including past winners

The Las Vegas Strip Circuit would not be a suitable track for MotoGP, and neither would F1’s races in Saudi Arabia, Miami, Monaco, Azerbaijan and Singapore. The only options would be for MotoGP to relocate its Australian Grand Prix to Albert Park or to hold a round in Canada.

Phillip Island has hosted MotoGP’s Australian GP since the 1997 season. But its future is now uncertain, as the circuit 88 miles south-east of Melbourne’s Albert Park – the stage of the F1 Australian GP – does not have a contract to continue hosting a MotoGP round beyond 2026.

And The Race even reported in October that the much-loved Phillip Island could be replaced by Albert Park. Dorna has already started to look for an alternative track to host the MotoGP Australian GP, including holding early talks about taking the race to the heart of Melbourne.

The Australian Grand Prix Corporation, which organises F1 and MotoGP’s rounds in the state of Victoria, has already committed £200m to improving Albert Park’s facilities for F1 over the coming months. The AGPC is also open to potentially moving MotoGP’s event to Albert Park.

But the biggest hurdle that Dorna, Liberty, MotoGP and the AGPC face to potentially see the Australian GP move away from Phillip Island to Albert Park is the likely need to fell trees for deeper run-off areas. The Albert Park circuit is set around a lake, a park and a sports centre.

MotoGP should move the Valencia GP, leave Aragon and return to India

The Australian GP’s future is not the only aspect that Dorna CEO Ezpeleta has to consider, as Liberty considers how it can shape the perfect MotoGP calendar without expanding beyond the current 22 rounds. The return of the Brazilian Grand Prix after 34 years in 2026 is a start.

READ MORE: Everything to know about the Malaysian Grand Prix, including past winners

MotoGP also needs to consider moving the Valencia Grand Prix away from its season-ending calendar slot, despite being a massive fans’ favourite race. The cool conditions in Valencia in November do not allow for great events, and the post-season test is also less representative.

Luckily for Dorna, Spain currently has three rounds and MotorLand Aragon’s contract to host the Aragon Grand Prix is due to expire after the 2026 event. MotoGP can move the Valencia GP into Aragon’s slot to benefit from the warmer conditions, and also open another key slot.

MotoGP already holds pre-season testing at Sepang and can move the Malaysian Grand Prix to the final round of the year to host pre-season testing at a circuit that also delivers exciting races. And MotoGP can use a late-season slot to return to India by moving the Malaysian GP.

India is the world’s largest motorcycle market, and it is also a crucial market for Honda – one of MotoGP’s five constructors. But while MotoGP staged its first-ever round in India in 2023, financial issues have prevented the series from returning to the Buddh International Circuit.

MotoGP cancelled the 2024 Indian GP and later postponed the 2025 edition to 2026, in the hope that the local authorities could then find the financial support needed to organise the race. But a lack of investment meant MotoGP’s return to India is yet to see the light of day.