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The future of MotoGP passes through Liberty Media. Last April, the American company announced the acquisition of Dorna's majority stake, and now it awaits the go-ahead from the Antitrust Authority so that it can enter the MotoGP paddock for all intents and purposes. There is a lot of curiosity about what the company that runs Formula 1 will be able to do with motorcycle racing, but at the moment Carmelo Ezpeleta is still in charge.
The CEO of Dorna is obviously preparing for the entry of the new 'boss' and clearly has a number of ideas of how to make motorcycle racing grow again. This is not just about sporting regulations or marketing.
One key aspect is to establish a minimum salary for riders, as he said in an interview with Speedweek, "What we will do in the future, also because the riders have asked us, is to establish minimum salaries for MotoGP. It is something we are looking into."
It's not easy, because the contracts are with the manufacturers or the teams, but the organizer wants to take action on this. And it is not the only one.
Another problem is having too many Italians and Spaniards: of the 22 riders entered in the premier class, the former number 6 and the latter as many as 10. Far too many for a world championship that seeks to attract fans in every part of the globe.
"I know it will be controversial, but we will have to look for ways to involve more nationalities," Ezpeleta explained, " I don't have a magic wand, but I hope we can find a solution. The best riders have to be part of the championship, there is no doubt, but it is easier to be if you are Italian or Spanish."
Carmelo wants to take inspiration from the Olympics: "Three Americans per discipline participate there. If you are the fourth best American, even with better performances to those of other athletes, you are not part of it."
The reasoning figures, but its implementation does not seem to be simple at all in a sport where there are no nationals. We shall see how Ezpeleta manages to solve this problem.
