OPINION: Is Liberty Media erasing MotoGP’s history?
- Isabel Jane Caporaso
- Oct 15
- 3 min read
Written by Isabel Jane Caporaso, Edited by Tarun Suresh
In 2025, Liberty Media bought 84% of MotoGP’s media rights, with 16% remaining in the hands of the long-lasting Dorna Sports. The American company is widely known for the rebranding they have carried out in Formula One over the past eight years. They made a common sport a chic and inaccessible internet trend.
It was obvious from the beginning that it wasn’t going to be long before their influence would start remodelling MotoGP as well.
In the past weeks, shocking reports have emerged regarding a significant change being considered by the company. It involves raising the importance of the MotoGP class, and therefore reducing Moto2 and Moto3’s visibility.
This move would have a direct consequence on the lower-class titles won up to this day, since they would no longer count in the overall totals. Similar to the Formula 2 and Formula 3 championships.
Some may think, “If it works in car racing, why shouldn’t it work in MotoGP?”. The answer is easy: they are two different sports, each with its own history and legacy.
Let me explain:
In Formula One, the lower categories are seen as steps to take in order to reach the premier class. A ladder, if you will.
The lower formula series have therefore always been considered as feeder championships, a training ground for youngsters. If you win Formula 2, you would be considered an “FIA F2 Champion”, not “FIA F2 World Champion”. Only by winning Formula One can you gain the “World Champion” title.
In motorcycle racing, it has never been this way.
Ever since the beginning, the 500cc, 350cc, 250cc and 125cc classes were always considered World Championships of their own. The same goes for the Moto 2 and Moto 3 classes. If you win the Moto2 title, you become “Moto2 World Champion”.
The idea behind this structure is that every rider could become a world champion.
It’s simply a way to validate each category, and most of all the driver’s journey in the sport itself.
It’s a system that has always made sense!
The shift to downplay Moto2 and Moto3 has sent shockwaves through the motorsport community, who rightly claim the American media company is stripping away a big part of the sport’s history.
I believe the Hall of Fame should be infinite. Don’t you all? How could a new regulation wipe away decades of undeniable talent?
Extraordinary drivers like Dani Pedrosa, Max Biaggi, Marco Simoncelli, Andrea Dovizioso, Ángel Nieto and many more would see the honour of the world champion title ripped away from them.
Also, drivers like Agostini, Rossi, Lorenzo and so on, would see their titles cut back!
Do you believe that’s fair? I certainly do not!
The catch is, it’s effective right away!
Marc Márquez has already been advised that he mustn't use the number nine after winning the 2025 title. Even broadcasters have been informed to praise him as a “seven-time World Champion.”
If you ask me, Liberty Media has found a winning system in Formula One and is now trying to make MotoGP as similar to it as possible. Maybe it’s a way to attract more F1 fans? By making the two more comparable, would it be easier for people to grasp the similarities and better understand the sport?
It’s a great marketing plan, I’ll give them that, but it goes against the primary fundamentals of the sport itself.
If you think about it, MotoGP has always been about highlighting the riders’ talent. Unlike Formula One, there are fewer team orders, simpler strategies, and no pit stops (if not during rain). The choices have always been in control of the rider. Since it is a very rider-focused sport, stripping down the riders’ legacies and impact would, in turn, strip down one of the main appeals of the sport!
I am sure Liberty Media’s plan for MotoGP’s future holds more unexpected variations, and maybe we’ll gain some good from it. Only time will tell.
What I sincerely hope is that MotoGP’s true essence will be highlighted. Its approachability and down-to-earth environment. Combined with thrilling racing and compelling stories. At the end of the day, these are the things that keep the motorsport community tight.
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