From F1 to MotoGP: Liberty Media's Latest Motorsport Takeover

Liberty Media, owner of The Formula One Group, has purchased the MotoGP World Championship from Dorna Sports.

The American mass media company has owned the rights to Formula 1 since 2016, while the Spanish company has owned MotoGP since 1992. Moto GP management is set to acquire 14% stake in Dorna Sports’ while the remaining 86% of the shares will go to Liberty Media. Dorna was previously 40% owned by Bridgepoint, 38% by the Canadian pension fund (CPPIB) and 22% by various Dorna executives. One executive being Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna with 10% ownership.

Image from: https://racingnews365.com/what-time-is-the-motogp-of-qatar-today

Dorna is also in control of WSBK and MotoE World Cup, resulting in a deal worth €4.2 billion. The deal; however, has taken longer than originally planned but is expected to be completed by the end of 2024 once clearances and approvals are given by both competition and foreign investment authorities in multiple jurisdictions. One reason for the delay was due to possible intervention from the European Commission’s body which oversees regulation of the competitive market.

Greg Maffei, Liberty Media President and CEO, said of the deal, “We are thrilled to expand our portfolio of leading live sports and entertainment assets with the acquisition of MotoGP.” Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, said of the deal, “This is the perfect next step in the evolution of MotoGP, and we are excited for what this milestone brings to Dorna, the MotoGP paddock and racing fans.”

Image from: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/liberty-media-ceo-greg-maffei-2-1235636329/

With Liberty Media’s new involvement in MotoGP, it is likely that they will engage in similar strategies previously undertaken after their purchase of Formula 1 in 2016. Their efforts brought new levels of exposure and popularity to the sport particularly through the Netflix documentary series Drive to Survive.