The decline in interest in MotoGP
If Formula 1 after the pandemic has begun to experience a real golden age, with sponsors competing to have a place on racetracks and on cars, the same is not happening in MotoGP. In fact, farewells are continuing in the premier class of motorcycling, between companies such as Suzuki that do not consider competitions an attractive platform, up to partners such as Petronas, which has left the team directed by Razlan Razali without a main sponsor – money.
Dorna and FIM have thus studied a plan for revive the category and last year they communicated the decision to introduce a Sprint on Saturday for each appointment on the calendar in 2023. The news left the riders, not included in the decision-making process, dumbfounded. After a few months, Carmelo Ezpeleta confirmed in an interview in recent days to The Republic to have had some stumbling blocks in terms of communication: “It seemed like a good idea, the International Federation said yes. The pilots? I thought their teams, aware of the project, had already told them about it. Maybe I should have explained it to him, before the official announcement. If I’ve made a mistake, I acknowledge it.”
The decision to change the format
Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of Dorna, explained the reasons that led him to shake up the category: “At first, even my friend Valentino complained. But in the end he always proved me right. I am 76 years old and this is the secret of my life: to change. Woe to stand still. If you don’t fit in, you don’t get better. You don’t survive. We were already doing the Saturday race with the Superbike. It works, we want to attract new audiences, give emotions from Friday”. According to the Spanish manager, the riders will understand not to force themselves in the Sprints: “They are professionals. And they have to adapt, change their mentality: understand, for example, that the Saturday race shouldn’t be tackled like a normal GP, but remembering that the next day there will be an official race. You have to know how to readapt, it also happened in Superbike”.
Finally Ezpeleta wanted to return Massimo Calandri’s question to the sender, referring to alleged losses of 130 million in the last 3 years due to Covid-19 and Rossi’s retirement: “With the pandemic we went from 100 to 0 and last year we suffered like everyone else. That’s why it changes. As for Valentino, I only miss him as a friend. His departure hasn’t cost us a cent. I remember the mess he made when we moved from 500 to MotoGP, even though our relationship was fantastic. In the end, who was right? One thing is certain: the Valentino of a few years ago would have put on a show with these new rules”concluded the Spanish manager.
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