MotoGP: Teams sign the 2027-2031 agreement: will Liberty Media now run Superbike?

A short while ago, another important announcement arrived concerning the premier class of the World Championship: an agreement has been reached between the promoter and the teams.

After the official confirmation of the deal between the manufacturers and MotoGP Group, the one concerning the teams has also arrived. All eleven have signed the contract valid from 2027 to 2031: Aprilia Racing, BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP, Ducati Lenovo Team, Honda HRC Castrol, LCR Honda, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP, Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Red Bull KTM Tech3 and SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team. Months of negotiations have led to an agreement that satisfies all parties involved.

The official statement specifies that the new framework strengthens the role of teams in MotoGP, offering greater certainty and confidence to increase investment in the sport’s fundamental pillars: performance, fan engagement, and commercial opportunities. It also recognizes the importance of maintaining 11 teams on equal footing, each with its own distinctive identity, history, and brand.

The agreements also introduce enhanced promotional and marketing commitments throughout the paddock, helping to boost the visibility of teams, riders, and the championship worldwide. By strengthening the visibility and individuality of each team, MotoGP will forge deeper bonds with its fans and generate new opportunities for commercial growth across all markets.

Paolo Pavesio, Yamaha managing director, confirmed to Sky Sport MotoGP that there are no plans to expand the grid. The teams will remain eleven: if a new manufacturer wants to enter the championship, it will have to reach an agreement with one of the existing teams. As for the redistribution of revenue shares, Pavesio was clear in Brno: "All eleven teams will enjoy the same conditions, then there’s an agreement with the manufacturers, who also invest to build the technology that races. Profit-sharing has never been a feature of our sport, unlike others, and it’s not included in the agreement we signed. But there is a commitment to discuss it, if we manage to grow this sport."

Liberty Media, the American company that owns MotoGP’s commercial rights, wants to drive the championship’s growth as it did with F1. Clearly, these are distinct realities and the same moves can’t be used, but the experience gained with F1 is still useful in trying to expand MotoGP. The goal is to attract more and more fans and sponsors/partners (translation: money), without, however, distorting a championship that has historic pillars which cannot be ignored.

Among “old guard” fans, some fear the new course, also because not everyone appreciates what has happened in F1, even though it is an example of a sport that has grown exponentially under Liberty Media’s guidance. The concern is absolutely legitimate, because decisions are often made with money as the only consideration, leading to unpopular choices. All that remains is to wait and see how MotoGP will evolve.

Liberty Media also manages the Superbike World Championship and so far hardly anyone has noticed, because the American company’s focus was on MotoGP. Understandable, but the production-derived championship also deserves attention and effective choices to enhance it.

At the moment, the direction to be taken is unclear, and it is hoped that now that the most important pieces of MotoGP have been put in place, work will be done to give new momentum to WorldSBK. As with MotoGP, it won’t be easy in the other paddock to get all the key players to agree, but something must be done to make Superbike shine again.

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