F1 owners given imitation warning by MotoGP

Moto GP sporting director Carlos Ezpeleta has warned the series about trying to copy F1 now that it has taken on Liberty Media, also the controlling group in F1.

Liberty Media bought out Dorna Sports earlier this year, a group who owned 84 per cent of Moto GP's shares, meaning Liberty are now the majority owner of the motorbike racing series.

The group became the majority owners of F1 back in 2017, and have taken the sport to new heights, attracting bigger audiences in the Americas, as well as bringing a new generation to the sport via the Netflix documentary Drive to Survive.

F1 is booming, particularly in the USA, where ESPN recently revealed that the average audiences for the races throughout 2025 hit an all-time high for an American broadcaster showing F1.

And there is hope that the group can do something similar with MotoGP, but Ezpeleta has suggested that they should not try and copy what has worked with F1.

Ezpeleta is the sporting director of the series, while his father Carmelo Ezpeleta is the CEO, and remains as such despite the acquisition.

"We are two very different animals," Ezpeleta junior told Motorsport Italia. "It's true that there are similar aspects to the business, but on different scales.

"Our reality is clear. We have always said that expectations must be managed, because Formula 1 is unique. The expansion and penetration it has achieved, especially in a market as unique as the United States, is something no other sport has achieved. Not even football, with its billions of euros, has achieved it.

"As an employee and as a MotoGP executive, I share the strategic vision of Liberty's shareholders. But that doesn't change the fact that our ambition for growth is enormous. We simply need to limit our paths and timelines, adapting them to our reality.

"Formula 1 is a unique and exceptional case in the history of sport; we shouldn't try to emulate it. We see that MotoGP has many advantages in some aspects, but not in others."

How will Liberty Media seek to grow MotoGP?

Liberty Media's initial aim was to give the two-wheeled motorsport similar treatment to F1, which skyrocketed in popularity since it was acquired by the company in 2017.

Projects like Drive to Survive and the F1 movie earlier this year were spearheaded by Liberty Media, with former CEO Greg Maffei instrumental in making the hit Netflix F1 docuseries a reality.

Maffei's successor, Derek Chang, will no doubt have a similar avenue of growth in mind for MotoGP, which is capable of producing highly marketable athletes, with stars including the legendary Valentino Rossi and current star Marc Marquez evidence of that.

With a tried and tested formula that significantly grew F1's global audience and entertainment value, Liberty Media will try to apply their expertise to expand MotoGP’s fan base and reach around the world.

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