Manufacturers–Liberty Media, agreement still far off: Ducati meanwhile wants to secure Gresini

Grassilli took stock of the situation regarding Ducati’s agenda, confirming that an agreement with Liberty Media is still a long way off.

In recent weeks there’s been a lot of talk about the rider market, and so far there have been no announcements about the various transfers that will take place in 2027. The MotoGP manufacturers are negotiating with Liberty Media the terms to renew the contract that expires at the end of 2026, and until there’s an agreement it will be difficult to see the various riders’ signatures made official. It’s a truly unusual and unexpected situation.

Next weekend MotoGP stops in Austin, in the United States, which is Liberty Media’s home turf. Could this be a key moment for a breakthrough in the negotiations? This question was posed by Guido Meda of Sky Sport MotoGP to Mauro Grassilli, who replied from the Autodromo Internacional de Goiania: "I’ll answer in a fairly political way. If we, like all the other teams, haven’t made any kind of announcement yet, it’s because we’re not ready. Everyone’s intention is to get there as soon as possible; I can’t say whether it will be in Austin. The situation isn’t easy to manage, because there are still many question marks that at this point in the season should already have been resolved, and we should have answers that we still don’t have."

Unlocking the situation soon doesn’t seem easy. There’s a lot of money at stake, and it’s not a given that the Grand Prix in Austin will be a key moment to reach an agreement. It would be desirable to find a meeting point as soon as possible, but the words of Ducati Corse’s sporting director make it clear that there is still quite a distance between the parties.

During the interview with Sky Sport MotoGP, Grassilli was also asked what the top five items on his agenda are for the next two weeks: "Tricky question — he replied — also because I wasn’t prepared. Definitely Gresini, an extremely important matter to clarify and close as soon as possible. For us it’s an important team. We also want to try to bring home some important results here and in America. I’ll tell you the other three next time."

For Ducati, continuing the partnership with the Gresini Racing team is fundamental. Nadia Padovani’s squad is well inclined to renew the contract, but a complete agreement needs to be found before signing. There shouldn’t be any twists, even though a team like Gresini appeals to everyone.