{"id":365058,"date":"2025-12-22T18:51:24","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T18:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/365058\/"},"modified":"2025-12-22T18:51:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T18:51:24","slug":"we-dont-have-enough-space-for-every-circuit-asking-to-host-motogp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/365058\/","title":{"rendered":"“We don’t have enough space” for every circuit asking to host MotoGP"},"content":{"rendered":"

MotoGP just wrapped up its first season under the Liberty Media umbrella<\/a>\u00a0after the US-based giant completed the acquisition of an 84% stake in Dorna Sports, the championship\u2019s promoter.<\/p>\n

Carmelo Ezpeleta remains the CEO of the Spanish company, but his son Carlos \u2014 MotoGP\u2019s sporting director \u2014 has taken on an increasingly prominent role in recent years. Autosport had the chance to speak with him about Liberty\u2019s arrival and the direction the championship is set to take<\/a> under its new ownership.<\/p>\n

How should we interpret the 12% growth in the fan community this year?<\/p>\n

Carlos Ezpeleta:\u00a0“Overall, we\u2019re very happy with the growth trend, because it\u2019s the result of work we\u2019ve been doing for many years. We analyse metrics and demographics, and they confirm that we\u2019re heading in the right direction. We\u2019re at the beginning of a new era for MotoGP, one that is very much focused on investment in the brand and in the sport itself.”<\/p>\n

What would you say is the biggest challenge remaining?<\/p>\n

CE:\u00a0“I don\u2019t really like the term ‘unfinished business.’ The reality is that we love this sport so much that we want to take it to the very top. But the truth is, it\u2019s already at a very high level. Both teams and riders should be proud of what we\u2019ve built.<\/p>\n

“Of course, we\u2019re ambitious and want to keep growing, but the metrics we receive are those of a major global sport, of a sport and a brand that are already very well established. That said, there is huge potential for business growth. We\u2019re focused on strengthening our own assets rather than copying other disciplines, and that\u2019s reflected in the fact that we\u2019ve managed to captivate 600 million fans worldwide.”<\/p>\n

Do you think Formula 1\u2019s recent boom distorts realistic expectations for MotoGP\u2019s growth?<\/p>\n

CE:\u00a0“Absolutely. To begin with, we\u2019re two very different animals. There are some similar aspects of the business, but on a very different scale. We\u2019re very clear about our own reality. We\u2019ve always said expectations need to be managed, because F1 is a unique case. The level of expansion and penetration it has achieved \u2014 especially in a market as particular as the United States \u2014 is something no other sport has managed. Not even football, with its billions in revenue, has reached that scale.”<\/p>\n

Is that view shared by Liberty Media\u2019s executives?<\/p>\n

CE:\u00a0“There\u2019s really only one view. As an employee and executive within MotoGP, I operate under the strategic vision of Liberty\u2019s shareholders. That doesn\u2019t mean the ambition for growth isn\u2019t huge \u2014 it is. But we need to define the right pathways and timelines and adapt them to our reality. Formula 1 is a unique and exceptional case in the history of sport; it shouldn\u2019t be something to replicate. We see MotoGP as having many advantages in certain areas, and fewer in others.”<\/p>\n

\"Dorna <\/p>\n

Dorna CSO Carlos Ezpeleta<\/p>\n

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography \/ LAT Images \/ via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Liberty arrived several months ago. Do you think what they\u2019ve found has met their expectations?<\/p>\n

CE:\u00a0“That\u2019s a question they\u2019d be better placed to answer, but I don\u2019t think anyone at Liberty has been surprised. From the very beginning, we were very honest with them about the\u00a0championship we manage \u2014 what we believed would come sooner and what might take longer. Liberty is extremely happy with what it has acquired.”<\/p>\n

Where do negotiations with the teams stand regarding the new agreement that will link them to the championship?<\/p>\n

CE:\u00a0“We\u2019re in the final stages of the negotiations. I\u2019m very optimistic; I think we\u2019re aligned.”<\/p>\n

Dorna has asked teams to invest more in visibility and marketing, but they argue that it\u2019s not financially viable. How do you expect that gap to be bridged?<\/p>\n

CE:\u00a0“I don\u2019t think that\u2019s entirely true. There are independent teams whose business is doing very well. As for manufacturers, it depends on what you consider relevant. For brands, how do you measure the reputational value of being part of MotoGP? The value they get from competing in our championship is enormous \u2014 astronomical, even. They still apply the principle of ‘win on Sunday, sell on Monday’. What\u2019s happening is that resources are being focused primarily on racing. If more were invested in attracting new fans to the sport, it would benefit everyone. You can\u2019t invest the same amount and expect greater returns.”<\/p>\n

Has investor interest in buying teams or taking stakes in them cooled off at all?<\/p>\n

CE:\u00a0“Interest remains overwhelming. And I use that word deliberately \u2014 we receive calls every single week from new individuals or funds interested in investing in MotoGP.”<\/p>\n

Until now, Dorna\u2019s operations have been split between Madrid and Barcelona. Are there plans for any changes or relocations?<\/p>\n

CE:\u00a0“There\u2019s nothing planned at the moment. We\u2019re still happy with how things operate today and don\u2019t foresee an immediate relocation, although it\u2019s something we\u2019re exploring \u2014 particularly how to attract more people and more global talent to the company. That could involve opening an additional office elsewhere, but we don\u2019t see any major change in that respect right now.”<\/p>\n

\"Greg <\/p>\n

Greg Maffei, CEO of Liberty Media, Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO Dorna Sports<\/p>\n

Photo by: German Garcia<\/p>\n

How should we interpret the departure of Dan Rossomondo, who was head of the commercial area, just two years after taking the role?<\/p>\n

CE:\u00a0“Everyone in the paddock knows how close Dan was to us and how strong our relationship with him was. Unfortunately, he wasn\u2019t able to reconcile the demands of this role with his family life, and that\u2019s something we fully respect. Anyone who works here and follows the championship all year knows how demanding it is. Dan achieved a great deal in his two and a half years \u2014 he attracted a lot of talent \u2014 and we\u2019re very grateful to him for that. We remain fully committed to the direction and vision he helped establish.”<\/p>\n

His role covered a very broad area, including marketing and communications. Is the idea to replace him with one person or split his responsibilities among several people?<\/p>\n

CE:\u00a0“This situation wasn\u2019t something we were looking for, but it does give us the opportunity to reassess things \u2014 especially now that Liberty has come on board. We have the chance to define what commercial strategy we want to pursue, but we won\u2019t rush into any decisions.”<\/p>\n

You mentioned earlier that you receive weekly calls from investors interested in teams. What about new circuits?<\/p>\n

CE:\u00a0“There\u2019s also a lot of interest there. In this case, the calls aren\u2019t weekly but monthly. There\u2019s a very strong desire to associate with the MotoGP brand, and we simply don\u2019t have enough space for all the requests we receive. With 14 races in Europe and eight outside, it\u2019s clear where the biggest expansion potential lies. There\u2019s significant interest in Asia, the Middle East and South America, and that will inevitably force us to make decisions regarding Europe.”<\/p>\n

Your father, Carmelo, will turn 80 in July. Do you see him easing off the throttle at some point?<\/p>\n

CE:\u00a0“Carmelo is doing very well and continues to contribute a great deal, particularly in institutional relations and dealings with manufacturers, governments, broadcasters and major sponsors. His pace is different now, that\u2019s obvious, but he\u2019s very happy because he loves what he does. All of us try to get him to slow down a bit, but he\u2019s incredibly motivated and very excited about this new chapter.”<\/p>\n

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– The Autosport.com Team<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MotoGP just wrapped up its first season under the Liberty Media umbrella\u00a0after the US-based giant completed the acquisition…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365059,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[64,63,198355,5745,806,805,803,804,85,165367,198356],"class_list":["post-365058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-motosport","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-ezpeleta-we-dont-have-enough-space-for-every-circuit-asking-to-host-motogp","tag-motogp","tag-motor","tag-motor-sports","tag-motosport","tag-motosports","tag-sports","tag-valencia-circuit-ricardo-tormo","tag-valencia-official-testing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365058","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365058"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365058\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/365059"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365058"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365058"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365058"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}