Carmelo Ezpeleta, the chief executive officer of Dorna, has not dismissed the idea of MotoGP organizing competitions on some of the same urban circuits utilized by Formula 1.
MotoGP finds itself at a crucial juncture after Dorna Sports, the entity promoting it, was taken over by Liberty Media, the same media conglomerate that has full ownership of F1.
This development has naturally sparked significant excitement regarding the potential for the two series to create collaborative opportunities and become more integrated. For many years, there has been speculation about the possibility of F1 and MotoGP sharing a race weekend sometime in the future, even before they were brought under the same ownership.
While that remains merely a concept for the time being, Ezpeleta was present throughout the past weekend at F1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, which it promoted itself, and he voiced considerable appreciation for the spectacle that Liberty Media had put together, stating to Spanish broadcaster DAZN: “In terms of spectacle, what they do is incredible.”
When questioned about the chance of MotoGP holding a race in a major urban center, akin to F1’s lavish Vegas occasion, Ezpeleta conveyed that he was receptive to the notion, on condition that the safety of the racers could be guaranteed.
“We have no issues with competing on street circuits; the sole requirement is the presence of run-off areas, and in Las Vegas, those are hard to come by,” he remarked.
“However, there are several F1 street configurations that we could potentially utilize. For us, safety holds the utmost importance. Since we assumed control of the championship in 1992, it has been our dedication to the racers, and we will not compromise on it.”
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Rob Gray / Polarity Photo
Ezpeleta further mentioned that the Indonesian Grand Prix is conducted on a course that is considered a partially urban circuit. “In principle, Mandalika is urban, and that is where we compete.”
Over the past few decades, and increasingly since Liberty acquired F1 in 2017, the series has progressively gravitated towards street circuits, with the intention of transforming grand prix events into extravagant spectacles akin to the Super Bowl.
The current F1 schedule incorporates six genuine street circuits (Melbourne, Jeddah, Baku, Monaco, Singapore, Las Vegas), a pair of semi-street circuits (Montreal and Miami), along with a further two city-based races held on permanent tracks (Mexico and Abu Dhabi). Madrid is scheduled to be added to this lineup in the coming year.
A total of five established F1 circuits are already venues for annual MotoGP events: Losail, Austin, Barcelona, the Red Bull Ring, and Silverstone. This enumeration has the potential to grow further should MotoGP make a return to the Shanghai International Circuit, although this is not anticipated prior to 2027.
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– The Autosport.com Team
