Liberty Media completed its £3.75 billion takeover of Dorna, the rights-holder of MotoGP, in July, marking a historic turning point for the premier motorcycle racing championship. This transition introduces a new era aiming to expand MotoGP’s global audience while navigating challenges inherent in evolving the sport’s identity and commercial framework.
The acquisition coincides with MotoGP’s largest season to date, featuring 22 races across 18 countries and five continents, engaging a record-breaking 632 million global fans. Attendance and television viewership surged, signaling a growing appeal, particularly among younger audiences.
Recent Season Highlights Demonstrate MotoGP’s Rising Popularity
The latest MotoGP season set impressive milestones, with five world champions competing on the grid and ten teams achieving podium finishes. Standout performances included a thrilling comeback from Marc Marquez, crowned world champion in 2025. Attendances peaked notably at the Le Mans round in May, attracting over 311,000 spectators, the highest ever recorded at a MotoGP race.
Social media engagement surpassed 60 million followers globally, with research indicating more than half of these fans are under thirty-five years old. Television audiences recorded a 9% average increase per race, underlining the sport’s expanding global footprint and younger demographic reach.
Leadership Changes Foreshadow Adjustments Under Liberty Media’s Control
The acquisition immediately led to significant executive changes, beginning with the resignation of Dan Rossomondo, Dorna’s chief commercial officer. Rossomondo’s departure underscores the evolving management landscape as Liberty Media implements its vision for MotoGP’s growth.
Speaking shortly before stepping down, Rossomondo addressed fans’ concerns regarding potential drastic changes to the sport:
“Some people are worried Liberty are going to change MotoGP, but why would they do that when they’ve paid a lot of money for something they think is very good?”
Dan Rossomondo, former Chief Commercial Officer.
He emphasized Liberty’s objective to make MotoGP more accessible and discoverable, rather than fundamentally altering its core identity. Liberty’s diverse expertise spans media, music, and ticketing industries, which they intend to leverage for MotoGP’s benefit.
Synergies with Formula 1 Could Boost MotoGP’s Global Reach
Liberty Media’s ownership of Formula 1 presents opportunities for cross-promotion and shared resources. The involvement of former F1 team boss Gunther Steiner in managing a MotoGP team reflects Liberty’s strategy to draw F1 fans towards motorcycle racing. Steiner’s popularity from the Drive to Survive series is expected to generate new interest.
Moreover, prominent F1 drivers such as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have reportedly shown interest in acquiring stakes in MotoGP teams, sparking discussions of a growing interconnection between the two motorsport disciplines. Rossomondo clarified that rather than competing with F1, MotoGP competes for fans’ leisure time amid many entertainment options.
“In much of the world we have more leisure time than ever before, which is why sports and entertainment are proliferating, so we are competing for how people spend their time.”
Dan Rossomondo, former Chief Commercial Officer.
Enhancing Storytelling to Attract a Broader Audience
Rossomondo advocated for expanding the sport’s narrative beyond the races, focusing on riders’ personal lives and lifestyles to engage casual fans. This narrative-driven marketing approach aims to deepen fan connection and widen MotoGP’s appeal on a global scale.
“We do a great job telling the racing stories, but we want to be storytellers beyond that. The riders are gladiators and the casual fan wants to know about their lives and their lifestyles. We have to lift the visor on these guys.”
Dan Rossomondo, former Chief Commercial Officer.
This enhanced storytelling involves leveraging social media algorithms and innovative content strategies to make MotoGP’s presence felt worldwide, from major cities like Manchester and Mumbai to Melbourne and Riyadh.
Marketing Challenges: Building on a Smaller Scale Compared to F1’s Giant Operations
Despite MotoGP’s popularity, its marketing infrastructure remains modest compared to giants like Formula 1. While F1’s marketing team numbers over 100 personnel, Dorna’s dedicated marketing department is relatively new and small. Strengthening this area is crucial to increasing fan engagement and revenues through events, merchandise, and digital platforms.
Growing the fan base could also enhance race-day atmospheres, contrasting fuller grandstands at circuits like Jerez and Le Mans with less vibrant ones at Silverstone and the Circuit of the Americas. Increasing attendance is essential not only for the spectacle but also to generate greater financial sustainability for teams.
Financial Realities and Rider Compensation Issues Across the Grid
Although MotoGP boasts the sport’s elite riders, compensation remains a critical issue. Factory riders earn substantial salaries of several million dollars, but many competitors on independent teams live on far less. The situation worsens in Moto2 and Moto3 support classes, where rider pay is often supplemented by personal funds rather than team salaries, reflecting insecure financial conditions for many participants.
Rossomondo’s role involved addressing these economic challenges to create a healthier, more sustainable paddock environment. Expanding revenue streams from media rights, corporate partnerships, and licensing deals are integral to this effort.
“The marketing side of my job as chief commercial officer is, how do we expose this great sport to more people without losing who we are? Eighty per cent of our fans are what we call ‘purists’, so how do we get more what we call ‘tourists’ to watch a few races, follow us on Instagram and so on?”
Dan Rossomondo, former Chief Commercial Officer.
“The business side of my job is how do we then make money out of our 540 million fans? How do we manage our media rights better, how do we bring in more corporate partners, how do we do more licensing deals, how we do build a sustainable digital model?”
Dan Rossomondo, former Chief Commercial Officer.
Introducing Harley-Davidson Partnership Brings New Dynamics
In a notable recent development, Dorna partnered with Harley-Davidson to feature “baggers” — touring motorcycles modified for racing — at six MotoGP events. This collaboration aims to attract diverse audiences and infuse Americana cultural elements into the championship.
“We’d been talking to Harley for a while. They want to get back to motor racing culture. They think it’s part of their DNA (Harley created its first factory team 110 years ago) and they think they’d gotten away from that. They also want to be more global and they want to be younger. To us they’re Americana, so that’s bringing in a different culture to MotoGP.”
Dan Rossomondo, former Chief Commercial Officer.
The initiative has divided opinion among traditionalists, with some embracing the innovation as refreshing, while purists perceive it as a departure from the sport’s essence.
Balancing Fan Experiences: Prioritizing Spectators and Attendance
Dorna has recently revamped race weekends to improve fan interaction, drawing inspiration from Formula 1’s success. Adjustments include reducing performance disparities among teams, introducing Saturday sprint races, and hosting sprint sprint podium ceremonies within fan areas. These measures aim to enhance the live experience and deepen fan loyalty.
“We had defaulted, incorrectly, to thinking that the fans at the circuits were the promoters’ customers, not ours. But that can’t be, because they’re our fans, so we have to take greater ownership of the fans at the venues, which is why we’ve started introducing things inside the venues, like the sprint podiums and fan vision, where fans can interact with us on the big screens.”
Dan Rossomondo, former Chief Commercial Officer.
Technological Innovations and Broadcast Improvements
Owning the production of race broadcasts enables MotoGP to control its visual presentation. However, Rossomondo noted a tendency for televised coverage to portray racing as easier than it is, partly due to camera technology that stabilizes bike footage, potentially reducing the visceral thrill for viewers.
“One of the big things that other sports are envious about is that we own our own production. We’re the ones producing it, so we can dictate what it looks like. One of the things we are always wrestling with is that sometimes I think our TV makes MotoGP look too easy.”
Dan Rossomondo, former Chief Commercial Officer.
He also emphasized enhancing the authentic sound experience, criticizing the broadcast’s subdued engine noise. This desire may explain the replacement of quieter MotoE racing with the louder Harley-Davidson bagger demonstrations.
“We have to give people the real feel of MotoGP. One thing we can do a better job of is making it louder. We dampen the sound on the broadcast and to me the sound is a huge part of the visceral feeling.”
Dan Rossomondo, former Chief Commercial Officer.
Upcoming Regulatory Overhaul Aims to Revitalize Racing Quality
Significant technical changes planned for the end of the 2026 season will reduce engine capacity from 1000cc to 850cc while banning certain aerodynamic aids, such as ride-height devices. These adjustments seek to promote closer, more thrilling racing through increased overtaking opportunities.
Liberty’s vision includes reshaping MotoGP’s competitive and commercial structures, such as counting only premier-class championships for official records, which downgrades Marc Marquez’s total titles from nine to seven, reflecting a focus on the top category.
They also plan to separate MotoGP’s premier paddock from Moto2 and Moto3, physically distancing support classes’ garages from the main race area. These moves underscore a strategy to elevate MotoGP’s flagship status.
Financial Concerns Emerge Over Ticket Pricing and Accessibility
Fans worry about potential ticket price hikes and pay-TV costs following Liberty’s precedents in Formula 1, where British Grand Prix tickets increased over 120% between 2019 and 2024. The rise followed dramatically increased demand due to F1’s commercial growth, a pattern that might repeat in MotoGP if similar strategies apply.
Historical lessons remind stakeholders that risking fan alienation through excessive pricing can be detrimental. The German Grand Prix at Hockenheim, for instance, suffered a rapid decline after ticket price hikes in the 1990s, signaling motorcycling audiences’ sensitivity to pricing policies.
An Uncertain Yet Transformative Future Under Corporate Control
MotoGP’s future no longer resides solely with its traditional fan base or purists; instead, it enters an era directed by powerful corporate owners prioritizing growth and profitability. While some dread these changes, resistance may be futile as commercial forces reshape the sport’s landscape.
The swift resignations and management upheavals following Liberty’s takeover reflect the scale and speed of transformations underway. Even as Dan Rossomondo steps down to return to the United States, he remains involved temporarily to aid stability.
Carmelo Ezpeleta, former Dorna CEO, acknowledged Rossomondo’s contributions, stating:
“Dan has been an important part of MotoGP’s commercial evolution.”
Carmelo Ezpeleta, former Dorna CEO.
Despite individual departures, the broader adjustments reflect a systemic shift, with Liberty Media poised to redefine MotoGP’s commercial and sporting identity in the coming years.
