What the MotoGP riders think about green light for Liberty Media takeover

The European Commission finally gave the green light for Liberty Media to buy MotoGP promoter Dorna earlier this week, paving the way for the series to come under the media giant’s wing.

The confirmation came a day too late for the press to ask the current riders how they felt about the takeover at the Italian Grand Prix – but the media day for the Dutch race allowed the riders to share their opinions on the deal.

None of the five riders questioned returned any answers that could be classed as negative – and that’s hardly surprising – because it’s difficult to argue with Liberty’s record as owner of Formula 1, which the American firm added to its portfolio in early 2017. That was a sentiment expressed loud and clear by both world champion-elect Marc Marquez and VR46 rider Fabio di Giannantonio at Assen on Thursday.

“Liberty Media did very good things in other sports, like Formula 1,” said Marquez, who leads his brother Alex by 40 points heading into the Dutch weekend. “I think it’s super good for the championship.”

Di Giannantonio added: “Yeah, we saw what Liberty did with Formula 1 in the end. Formula 1 was a really great package already and they [Liberty] brought it to a completely new level. Now, Formula 1 drivers are like superstars, you know, and this is great.”

But the neutral-to-positive tone of the responses should also be read with a certain fact in mind: it’s not politically smart to come out firing shots at the new bosses during a change of regime.

Remember too that some relationships with Dorna people – a couple of whom are set to remain as shareholders in the new order – go way back. So this is not a bad moment for diplomacy, particularly in such a ruthless arena as sport where careers are short at the best of times.

There are only so many spots on the grid and many expect Liberty to look to broaden MotoGP’s international appeal. The multitude of Spanish and Italian riders on the entry list – the quintet who offered a quote today all hail from one of those two countries, in fact – may be mindful of that when it comes to expressing their opinions honestly.

But Maverick Vinales’s hope that Liberty can reach a younger, fresher generation of fans is something anybody concerned with the series’ long-term health would support.

“I think the greatest thing that can happen is that we create a really big community,” said the Tech 3 KTM rider. “To be able to [reach] the people we haven’t yet connected with – a new generation, especially.”

Di Giannantonio expressed similar thoughts about a younger fan base – one attracted by those superstar riders he mentioned. And he made sure to throw in the fact that he would be happy to do more in the way of public relations, should that be required in the new era.

“For the riders, it’s cool [to be a superstar]. But I think most of all it’s that [this allows you to] reach more houses, more TVs, and so have more people watching us – more fans, more people passionate about the sport, more interest.

Fabio Di Giannantonio, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

“So, at the end, for us as riders, maybe [there could be] more events. But this would be cool, if we had more kids or more people watching us and cheering for us.”

The Italian GP podium finisher scored points with Dorna too, adding: “It’s also great that Dorna is [remaining part] of the project, as they can also maybe lead Liberty on what’s better for our sport.”

Not all platitudes

Both Alex Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi were more guarded in their responses, with the latter declining to comment until there is something concrete on which to comment on.

The Gresini Ducati man limited himself to saying: “I don’t know what to expect. I think we’ll be changing our way, sometimes for better things. We hope that we’ll have a better show, a better product for all the people at home watching the races.

“I don’t study marketing or anything like that, so I don’t know what can change. They know better than us and they will do the things that they think are better for our sport.”

If you looked carefully, however, it wasn’t all platitudes. Both Vinales and Marc Marquez were at least willing to point out a couple of the challenges they expected Liberty to face once it takes the reins.

New MotoGP logo

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Vinales, interestingly, saw a possible hurdle in converting passionate young gamers into fans who can connect with the human side of real-world MotoGP.

“I love to see the kids involved in our game,” he said. “And right now, I see it’s a little bit tricky because they love the egames… however, they need to understand the value we have in MotoGP and what our passion [is like].

“So, to be able to show them this or to reach more people [and allow them] to understand our passion, our racing and our life… I think that can be a really great thing for us as riders and also for the spectators.”

There will no doubt be a fear among hardcore MotoGP fans that Liberty will attempt to turn the series into a two-wheeled clone of Formula 1. And that’s something Marc Marquez – perhaps the only man who can truly speak with impunity due to his legendary status – touched on when he flagged another of the new owner’s challenges.

“Each sport, I think, has its own way,” he said. “I mean, you cannot repeat the atmosphere of Formula 1 in MotoGP, and you cannot repeat the atmosphere of MotoGP in Formula 1. You need to understand what your target is, what your fans in your sport need. But they [Liberty] are super good on that.”