Carmelo Ezpeleta, director of MotoGP, has expressed his confidence in reaching an agreement with manufacturers for the new commercial cycle that will extend from 2027 to 2031, despite negotiations that have dragged on for almost a year.
The talks between the series promoter, now reorganized as MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, and the manufacturers continue, with key aspects of the future championship structure still undefined.
As part of the presentation of the 35th Catalonia Grand Prix, held in Barcelona, Ezpeleta attended the event organized by the president of the Circuit de Barcelona, Miquel Samper. After the presentation, he spoke with several media outlets about the current state of MotoGP, which has undergone significant changes in recent years.
Ezpeleta commented: “Since last year, the agreement with Liberty Media has been definitively approved and things have changed a lot for us. The company’s transformation is evident, and the future is promising. There is great interest in MotoGP, both from investors and from people wanting to get involved with the teams.”
However, the new commercial agreement between manufacturers and the MGP group (Dorna) for the 2027-2031 period remains unresolved after nearly a year of negotiations. Ezpeleta added that the proposals regarding the future are different from previous ones and that these modifications require time to reach a consensus.
“I don’t like people who don’t discuss contracts, since if they don’t, it’s likely they don’t intend to comply with them. But I’m sure we will reach an agreement,” he assured.
Although there are indications that Dorna has set the French Grand Prix as the deadline to start signing agreements with teams and manufacturers, Ezpeleta rejected the idea of having a specific deadline. “There are no deadlines. The world season will begin in March next year; all manufacturers have already built their bikes and signed their riders,” he emphasized.
In a new initiative, Barcelona will host the first MotoGP ‘Fan Fest Festival’, an action linked to Liberty Media’s goal of generating more spectacle around the sport. Ezpeleta emphasized that his experience in F1 would be very valuable and that the Barcelona festival could expand to other grands prix in the future.
Finally, Ezpeleta also addressed the issue of Spanish grands prix, admitting that “it will be difficult” to maintain the four currently on the calendar due to agreements with teams, as no more than 22 races can be held annually.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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