Marco Bezzecchi
Carlos Ezpeleta has stated that MotoGP does not want to become ‘Formula 1 on two wheels’.
Since MotoGP was acquired by Liberty Media, there has been speculation that the sport will become too similar to Formula 1, which is also owned by Liberty Media.
Despite the constant claims from the heads at the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group that it will not, there has been evidence that MotoGP may be heading in a direction that is not what many expected.
The most recent example of an unexpected change to the sport was the announcement that MotoGP will once again host a street race as the Australian Grand Prix will head from Phillip Island to Adelaide.
Do you believe that MotoGP will follow in Formula 1’s footsteps?
Carlos Ezpeleta insists that MotoGP ‘does not need fixing’
The MotoGP Sporting Officer, Carlos Ezpeleta, appeared on Business of Sport, and during his conversation, he discussed the Liberty Media acquisition.
It was during this that he took the chance to address MotoGP fans and the media by stating that ‘MotoGP is not Formula 1 on two wheels’.
Ezpeleta said, “There is this fear out there in the media that we are going to Formula 1-ise MotoGP, and that is by far not what we are trying to do. MotoGP is not Formula 1 on two wheels; it is a separate sport, with our unique attributes and values.
“The reality is that strategically, we feel leaning into those attributes is what will bring success, not trying to change the sport in that sense. I think a big factor, and something that Liberty Media have repeated from the beginning, and so have we, one of the huge points of rationale behind the acquisition is that the sport does not need fixing, it is not broken it does not need to be fixed.
“But this does not mean that we will not continue to strive forward to have the best sport that we can have, as we have always done. We have always tried to improve the sport by making changes to the regulations, making changes to the bikes, limiting technology and R&D to make it what the fans want to see.
“But the reality is that the sport itself is in such an incredible place, we have huge competition, different teams, last year, 10 of the 11 teams were on the podium.”
A new date for the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix has been confirmed
MotoGP reschedule the 2026 Grand Prix of Qatar
The hostilities in the Middle East have caused the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group to react by rescheduling the 2026 calendar.
Originally, the Grand Prix of Qatar was supposed to be the fourth round of the 2026 season, and take place in April. However, this has been changed due to the ongoing conflict.
MotoGP has now instead rescheduled the final Grands Prix of the season, as the Grand Prix of Qatar has been pushed back to the beginning of November.
The paddock will now head to the Lusail International Circuit between the 6th and the 8th of November. Now the Portuguese and Valencian Grands Prix have been pushed back to the end of November, to the final two weekends of the month.
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