MotoGP enters 2025 with an air of uncertainty around its future ownership, but even that cannot dampen the excitement ahead of a heavily anticipated year.
In early 2024, Liberty Media agreed to pay a reported €4.2 billion (US$4.5 billion) to acquire approximately 86 per cent of the shares in Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of the premier class of global motorcycle racing.
Almost one year later and we are still without a resolution to the deal, which is currently under a full investigation by the European Union’s (EU) antitrust department. The EU’s new antitrust chief Teresa Ribera is concerned the acquisition could hamper competition in broadcasting and streaming markets, given Liberty Media also owns Formula One.
For context, CVC Capital Partners faced a similar probe in 2006, when EU competition regulators decided the private equity firm had to sell one of MotoGP or Formula One. But SportsPro understands there should be no concerns around the new deal, with an expectation for it to close around the middle of this year.
The on-track storylines, though, should provide an ample distraction to this political wrangling. Namely, six-time world champion Marc Márquez teaming up with two-time victor Pecco Bagnaia at the factory Ducati team, currently the best manufacturer in MotoGP.
Reigning champion Jorge Martín, who was overlooked for the vacant seat alongside Bagnaia, is expected to take a backseat this season having moved to the newly Yamaha-powered Pramac outfit, especially having missed the opening two races of the season due to injury.
Promising rookies Ai Ogura and Fermín Aldeguer also join the grid, who will slot in alongside Pedro Acosta – who receives a factory KTM ride in his sophomore season – as the faces of MotoGP’s next generation.
And what about Fabio Quartararo? Still only 25 years old, the Frenchman will be relying on a return to form for Yamaha, which will benefit from a satellite team for the first time in three seasons.
Attendances are already responding to these storylines, with over three million fans going to races across the 2024 season, the most-attended of all time. Of course, the seasons are longer than they used to be, but the average per race only trails the 2018 season (151,660 in 2024 vs. 151,800 in 2018).
The 2024 season also featured a weekend attendance record at Bugatti Circuit, France, for the second year running. The 2023 record of 278,810 fans was made obsolete after 297,470 attended the 2024 edition.
Things have been mostly quiet on the sponsorship and broadcast front for the series ahead of the new season, but this is likely due to the uncertainty surrounding Liberty’s takeover. If approved by EU regulators, this will pick up quickly.
But this hasn’t stopped MotoGP securing Fox Sports as a new broadcast partner in the US on a multi-year deal. The US will take an even greater focus once Liberty is installed as the series’ owner.
The short-term goal, though, will be ensuring the season goes off without a hitch. 2024 was a season beset with scheduling issues, so the hope is that similar issues do not inflict the series again.
Editor’s note: Updated 26th February 2025