Liberty Media’s $4.2 Billion MotoGP Deal Sparks Calendar Chaos with Formula 1

Saajan Jogia | Oct 12, 2024

Apr 14, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Pedro Acosta (31) of Spain and Red Bull Tech3 GASGAS rides during the MotoGP Grand Prix of The Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Formula 1 and MotoGP have unveiled their calendars for the 2025 season, and it is important to highlight that there are nine race weekends where the schedules overlap. This overlap means that fans of both premier motorsport events will face a difficult decision on which race to watch when the timings coincide.

Formula 1 is gearing up for another grueling 24-race season in 2025, as announced in April, while MotoGP's provisional calendar, recently unveiled, will feature 22 Grands Prix. This follows Liberty Media's $4.2 billion agreement to acquire an 86% stake in MotoGP from Dorna Sports, a deal set to conclude by the end of this year.

The sale of MotoGP sparked concerns among many fans, but Liberty Media has assured that it will preserve the sport's identity while introducing new strategies to enhance its growth. Despite the common ownership of both Formula 1 and MotoGP, which many hoped would lead to better coordination of race schedules to maximize viewership, Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta confirmed that calendar clashes between the two sports will persist under Liberty Media.

He emphasized the challenge of avoiding schedule clashes given the extensive calendars of both sports that feature more than 20 Grands Prix, and the situation will mostly not change under Liberty Media. Speaking to Spanish publication AS, as reported by Crash.net, he said:

“It is very difficult not to overlap them because they have 24 rounds and we have 22, which take place between March and November.

“There has always been good cooperation, and there will be even more now that Liberty Media is taking over the Dorna, but we will not be able to do without scheduling conflicts.

“Both F1 and MotoGP are currently taking each other's schedules into account when planning.

“We look at their calendar before we make ours, and now they look at ours before they make theirs. That wasn't always the case in the past.”

In August, Liberty Media announced plans to sell its stake in Formula 1 for $825 million to finance its acquisition of MotoGP. By selling over 10 million shares at a price of $77.50 each, the company aimed to generate the necessary funds to finalize its significant $4.2 billion deal with Dorna Sports.

The proceeds from the Formula 1 share sale would also be allocated for debt repayment and various corporate expenses. Despite both parties having reached an agreement on the terms well in advance, finalizing the deal with Dorna took longer than anticipated.