Originally expected to be resolved in December 2024, MotoGP’s ownership situation was finally clarified seven months later.
It means Liberty Media now officially owns 84 per cent of Dorna Sports, the commercial rights holder of MotoGP, in a deal worth €4.2 billion (US$4.9 billion).
Regulatory red tape proved an unwelcome obstacle to completion as Teresa Ribeira, the chief of the European Union’s (EU) antitrust department, opened a probe into the takeover.
At the time, Bloomberg reported that Ribeira was concerned the acquisition could hamper competition in broadcasting and streaming markets, given Liberty also owns Formula One.
CVC Capital Partners, the last company to own both Formula One and MotoGP, was forced to sell the latter in 2006 after EU competition regulators raised objections. But that was a different time. Today, the two series compete not only with each other but also with a wide range of other sports and entertainment properties.
Even with an understandable excuse for the delay, the fact this deal was first announced in April 2024 made for a protracted and confusing process for MotoGP and fans alike. Relief was the overwhelming emotion when the acquisition was finalised.
“I don’t want to see another email from an attorney,” jokes Dan Rossomondo, chief commercial officer of Dorna Sports.
“It’s going to be great working with [Liberty]. They know the business [and] Chase Carey, who’s on the board, I don’t think there’s anything that he hasn’t seen.
“It’s going to be really good to have him as a sounding board or have his feeling about certain ways that we can do business and certain things that we can partner on. All the reasons why we were excited … when it was announced, that excitement’s still there.”
With the takeover now complete, MotoGP enters a new era – one that brings both promise and pressing questions.
How will MotoGP change under Liberty?
Change under Liberty is likely to come slowly at first. It may be a media company with extensive experience in transforming Formula One, but anyone expecting a rinse and repeat of Liberty’s Formula One masterplan is likely to be disappointed.
“They understand and we understand that the same playbook doesn’t necessarily work twice,” says Rossomondo. “It has to be unique to what our sport is … we have a lot of constituents that are just different from their sport.
“They recognise certain patterns in the two businesses that would make sense and that we could take advantage of, but it can’t be the same.”
These early weeks and months are tentative, foundational steps – and the key word for now is patience.
“It’s been 15 months since the announcement, but it’s only been two weeks working for them and I feel like we’ve had this really weird suspension of reality for 15 months,” Rossomondo explains.
During that time, MotoGP and Liberty executives were limited in what they could discuss, so long-term planning was out of the question. Still, there are already clear areas where Rossomondo expects Liberty to make improvements.
“They’re going to really have a big impact on our business,” he continues. “I think the marketing side is really important, they’re going to help there. The media rights business, just having the wealth of knowledge that they have … that’s going to help us and it’s a tough place to navigate right now.”
That said, MotoGP has already made strides in marketing thanks to the arrival of Kelly Brittain, the new managing director of global marketing, who Rossomondo calls a “godsend” and has already overhauled the series’ approach.
“The rebrand went really well, it was very well received,” adds Rossomondo. “Kelly is now [asking] what do we stand for stemming from that identity?
“We’re working with some agencies on that to find out how we cultivate new fans but also how we excite our existing fans.”
Can Liberty improve MotoGP’s commercial fortunes?
If there’s one area where MotoGP has struggled in recent years, it’s in building a robust sponsorship portfolio. Indeed, as the series awaited approval of Liberty’s takeover, many brands chose to remain on the sidelines.
Only six brands currently occupy MotoGP’s top sponsorship tier and most are longstanding partners. The most enduring tie-up is with German manufacturer BMW, which has served as the series’ official safety car since 1999. Swiss watchmaker Tissot follows closely, having been the official timekeeper since 2001.
MotoGP’s mid-level partnerships are with DHL and Michelin, signed in 2015 and 2016 respectively. The former signed a multi-year extension in 2024, while the series’ tyre supplier will be sticking around until 2026, before being replaced by Pirelli.
In March 2023, MotoGP inked a global partnership with Estrella Galicia 0,0, which is a longtime supporter of many riders, including Marc Márquez. The multi-year deal saw Singha replaced as the series’ official beer, though the Thai brand still receives some visibility in Asia.
The most recent top-level deal signed by MotoGP was with Qatar Airways, which expanded its title sponsorship of the Qatar Grand Prix to become the official airline partner and official cargo airline partner of the series in May 2024.
Rossomondo admits that the commercial side is “lagging”. While Liberty’s involvement may help, responsibility ultimately lies with MotoGP itself.
“We really have to focus on the non-endemic side of the partnership business,” says Rossomondo. “We do really well in the industry [but] I have to do a better job of getting brands to say: ‘I want to use MotoGP to market my product’.
“[Liberty] can help us open doors and they can help us get really good case studies from what they’ve done with other properties, but we need to put our head down and do the work.
“Teams have got to do a better job too, I’ve got to help them do a better job. How many sponsors does Zak [Brown] have at McLaren [in Formula One]? Sixty something? It’s not just at the championship level, we have to lift the entire enterprise.”
The McLaren Formula One outfit has enjoyed huge commercial growth, which can be seen in the evolution of the team’s livery between 2018 and 2025 (Image credit: Getty Images)
Will MotoGP work closely with F1?
Rossomondo clearly has one eye on how Liberty has rapidly transformed the Formula One product. The series’ revenue reached US$3.65 billion for 2024, while teams generated an estimated US$2.04 billion in sponsorship revenue that same year.
Naturally, MotoGP will be eager to replicate that growth, but could the series begin aligning itself more closely with Formula One?
As previously mentioned, MotoGP will switch tyre suppliers from Michelin to Pirelli starting with the 2027 season. Notably, this marks the first time since 2009 – when both used Bridgestone – that MotoGP and Formula One will share a tyre supplier.
According to Rossomondo, the synergies won’t stop there.
“It’s not just on the commercial side, but it’s also on the technology side [and] on the logistics side,” he reveals.
“I think Formula One wants to understand a little bit about what we do with certain things that maybe they want to do. It’s going to be a two-way street and there will be definitely ways to collaborate.”
One area where Formula One has driven growth is through expansion into new markets, even if that’s come at the expense of traditional fanbases. Circuits like Zandvoort and Imola are departing, Spa-Francorchamps is set for a rotational spot and Barcelona-Catalunya will likely follow.
Will MotoGP follow the same path? The short answer from Rossomondo is no.
“We’re always looking to expand our presence outside of … the heartland of Europe, but we also have to feed the beast a little bit,” he says.
“We can bring the sport to Indonesia and Malaysia and Thailand, and next year Brazil, and bring it to these new places, but when you get into Europe there’s a different sentiment.
“It’s a balancing act, which I know sounds like a cop out, but it really is. Would we want to have more markets where we can race? One hundred per cent, but we also have to make sure we are getting as much out of those existing circuits as we can.”
MotoGP announced a new host for the Argentinean motorcycle Grand Prix in Buenos Aires from 2027 following BlackBook’s interview with Rossomondo
Can Liberty develop MotoGP in the US?
The most targeted new market for Formula One is the US, which is now home to three races – Austin, Miami and Las Vegas – and a growing roster of commercial partners.
It’s natural to ask whether MotoGP will go down the same route, but that overlooks the groundwork already laid under Rossomondo.
One of his early wins was bringing Trackhouse Racing into the MotoGP fold, a move that helped spark renewed American interest in a series that has struggled with US representation in recent years. Nicky Hayden was not only the last American world champion in 2006 – he was also the last American to race in MotoGP back in 2015.
Yet, MotoGP has a rich American heritage, something that faded over time. It’s worth remembering that between 1978 and 1993, only three non-American world champions were crowned.
Kenny Roberts led the charge with three consecutive titles from 1978, before Freddie Spencer and Eddie Lawson each won two titles in alternating years in the mid-1980s.
Lawson added two more in the late 1980s to become one of the most successful riders of all time, trailing only Giacomo Agostini, Valentino Rossi, Marc Márquez and Mick Doohan.
Furthermore, just Spain (nine) and Italy (seven) have contributed more consecutive MotoGP world championships than the US recorded between 1988 and 1993.
In many ways, MotoGP’s challenge isn’t entering a new market but rediscovering an old one.
Steps are already being taken. With Trackhouse already on board, MotoGP now has a broadcast pact with Fox Sports in the US. While current viewership is modest, the agreement offers a solid platform for growth.
Additionally, MotoGP has signed an intriguing deal with Harley-Davidson, which will run a support series from 2026. It will feature at six races across Europe and North America, helping MotoGP align with an iconic US brand.
Nicky Hayden was the last American rider to be crowned MotoGP world champion in 2006 (Image credit: Getty Images)
Will it be easy to convince fans to be patient?
One lingering question surrounds the likely trepidation fans are feeling. Change is rarely welcomed with open arms in motorsport and purists tend to be protective of traditions. Even referring to it as a ‘product’ is enough to elicit an eyeroll from traditional supporters.
Take the sprint races MotoGP introduced in 2023. Fans were initially against the idea, but the consensus now appears to be that they’ve been a positive addition – even if there are too many of them.
From a business perspective, they’ve benefited both broadcasters and promoters. As Rossomondo puts it, the sprints are “not going anywhere.” Still, MotoGP is open-minded about keeping the format fresh and relevant.
That reflects a broader goal of adopting a more fan-first mindset. Attendance figures, such as the impressive crowd at Le Mans, suggest this is working.
But how will the approach change now that Liberty is on board? Rossomondo urges patience around any Drive to Survive-style docuseries but wants fans to be excited about what lies ahead.
“The Liberty folks are very astute, they know they have something that is unique and they don’t want to mess with that,” he says.
“I think they’re going to spend a lot of time trying to understand the business and understand who we are. I don’t think they’re going to try and commoditise the sport.
“If I’m a purist, I’d be excited because … we’re going to invest together in the sport.
“[Fans] love this sport so much that they don’t want it to be impacted, but I hope they can rest easy.”
Related posts
- MotoGP 2024 season review: What is Liberty Media acquiring?
- What’s the state of MotoGP’s sponsorship portfolio ahead of Liberty Media’s takeover?
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