Ex-Haas team principal Guenther Steiner believes MotoGP will retain its originality under new owner Liberty Media rather than adopting Formula 1’s template.
In July, Liberty Media completed its takeover of MotoGP, becoming the majority shareholder in series promoter Dorna Sports after a prolonged regulatory process.
With Liberty having also acquired F1 in 2017, the American media powerhouse now controls the two biggest motorsport championships in the world.
F1 has undergone a massive revamp under Liberty that has propelled it to mainstream success, though some changes have proven unpopular with parts of its core fan base.
This has prompted concerns that similar changes in MotoGP could alienate long-time motorcycle racing fans.
However, Steiner is confident that MotoGP will continue to chart its own course under new ownership, suggesting Liberty’s role will be focused on growing the series and bringing it closer to fans.
He highlighted a key difference between the two series’ management structures. While Liberty assumed day-to-day control of F1 after its 2017 acquisition, the Ezpeleta family continues to run MotoGP even after Liberty bought an 84% stake in Dorna.
Stefano Domenicali of Italy and CEO of Formula 1 and Carmelo Ezpeleta of Spain and CEO of Dorna Sports
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
“I would not go to specifics because every sport has got its own story to tell or its own way to go,” said Steiner.
“A lot of people are now maybe thinking that because Liberty took over, it will copy-paste Formula 1. I don’t think they will do it because Dorna and the Ezpeleta family are still running this business and they know what is important to MotoGP.
“They don’t need to go and copy someone else, because they can write their own story. There are enough ingredients here to make your own story and enough people here to make your own story.
“You don’t have to go out there and say, oh, ‘let’s do how we do it there’. You always have to look at what other sports are doing, but not only Formula 1. There are a lot of other sports you can learn from.
“I learned a lot from entertainment in sports in America from the stick and ball sports [about] how to bring the fans closer. You have to look everywhere, but it’s not like you can go, ‘let’s pick this from Formula 1 and do it here’, because there’s no need for it.
“MotoGP can do their own thing and be very successful. They are already very successful. They are successful and will be even more successful.
“Liberty will help with that because they’re an American company, they know sports entertainment and they will bring things to the fans here which the fans will enjoy.”
Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team, on stage at the fan forum
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Steiner will become the CEO of Tech3 in 2026 after a consortium led by him bought KTM’s satellite MotoGP team from previous owner Herve Poncharal.
This will put the 60-year-old in a relatively unique position of having worked in senior positions in both the F1 and MotoGP paddocks.
Steiner is happy to serve as a link between Liberty’s motorsport properties, saying MotoGP should look at how F1 promoted itself rather than trying to copy its model directly.
“I, for sure, will be a link between them. For a long time, Formula 1 was my only thing,” he said. “I know a lot of people there, so it’s always good to have both views [about] what can be done to make the sport bigger.
“I don’t think anybody needs to go and copy what was done in F1. You need to look and analyse what was done, what worked, and what not; all the stuff that they did with social media to make that growth in Formula 1.
“About how to bring it to people, there is a lot of potential there, and [the work is] already happening now.”
