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What does Liberty Media's MotoGP takeover mean for the sport's future? 

- SHIVANK BHATT 

On April 1st, the world of motorsports was rocked with a seismic announcement – Liberty Media, US-based owner of Formula One, confirmed the acquisition of MotoGP’s parent company, Dorna Motorsports. What this means is that the world’s premier four-wheel and two-wheel racing categories will soon come under the same umbrella. Surely, they could have chosen a better day and date to make an announcement like that, although it seems nobody is fooling around. This is serious business!

The deal between the two firms, valued at around $4.5 billion, sees Liberty Media acquiring an 86% stake in Dorna’s business, while the remaining 14% will remain with the Spanish firm. While the acquisition awaits approval from anti-trust/competition authorities and foreign investment boards in various jurisdictions, Liberty Media is confident about finalising the deal by the end of 2024. Additionally, Liberty Media has confirmed that Dorna will continue to run as an independent firm despite coming under its ownership.

There’s no denying that MotoGP is headed for a big shake-up once Liberty Media completes the takeover. There are, of course, a lot of expectations, as well as apprehensions, regarding the future trajectory of what is the pinnacle of twowheel racing.

Is it the right decision? What will MotoGP gain or lose in the long term after Liberty Media takes control? We decided to hazard a guess based on the information available.

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