MotoGP | Because pilots will lose 11 million signings in 2022

In 2018, the MotoGP teams paid more than 58 million euros to the 24 riders who raced that season. This figure, on the other hand, fell to just over 47 in 2022, with a drop of almost 20%.

The main reason why pilots’ salaries have fallen by almost 11.5 million euros in the last three years was none other than the COVID-19 pandemic, which in 2020 hit hard the coffers of all the players involved in the World Championship. . The manufacturers were forced to stop production and close the dealerships, which led to a collapse in motorcycle sales, even delaying the start of the World Championship in mid-July, moreover with the events organized behind closed doors.

Another factor was the retirement of stars such as Dani Pedrosa, Jorge Lorenzo and, more recently, Valentino Rossi. Drivers all preceded by great results, therefore proportional to their salaries. Driven by the pandemic, Ducati then embarked on a radical change of philosophy, going from paying millionaire salaries to its riders to concentrating its investments on the bike, also increasing the number of riders under contract.

The new consumption habits of the public, and the change in the nature of the relationship that large companies seek with the final customer (engagement), especially through social networks, has meant that the traditional model of sponsorship, which was based on the positioning of a sticker on the bike, has become obsolete. This, in turn, has also led to a drop in team budgets by brands.

During the final months of 2021, Motorsport.com spoke with team members, managers and lawyers involved in the championship, as well as with some riders, to get a rough picture of the total MotoGP salary in 2018 and to project what it will be like in 2022.

The conclusion is that, three years ago, the pilots were paid 58.5 million euros, an average of around 2.4 million per driver. In 2022, the 24 riders who will participate in the MotoGP world championship will be paid 47,150,000 euros, therefore with an average of 1.96 million and a reduction of 19.45%.

Huge imbalance in terms of engagement between the MotoGP riders

The average figure of nearly two million apiece may seem more than reasonable, considering that these are top-level athletes who put their lives on the line every weekend as they hit the track. However, as with most sports, there are large wage imbalances, leading some of them to run practically for free.

In 2018, the biggest slice of the pie was shared by five superstars: Jorge Lorenzo, paid by Ducati for 15 million euros; Marc Marquez, paid 10 by Honda; the two Yamaha riders, Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales, with six each, and Dani Pedrosa who pocketed four from HRC.

Then there was an upper-middle class, with Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins (Suzuki), the Espargaro brothers (Aprilia for Aleix and KTM for Pol) and Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati) earning between one and three million euros, while a total of twelve pilots were paid under 500,000 euros. Karel Abraham (Aspar) closed the salary list with 80,000 euros.

In 2022, the highest paid rider on the grid will be Marc Marquez, with a salary of 15 million euros (not counting bonuses for victories or titles), followed by the last two MotoGP world champions, Joan Mir (6.5 million) and Fabio Quartararo, who in his second year as an official Yamaha rider will be paid 4 million, and who will try to take a further step with the renewal. Suzuki’s Alex Rins then joins the list of the richest, earning $ 4 million as well.

The middle class remains the same, but if in 2018 there were salaries of three million (Iannone) and some comfortably above two million, in 2022 there will be nine drivers who will earn between one and two million, while the other eleven will be under six zeros.

Honda’s line-up is the most expensive. The renewal of Marc Marquez until 2024, announced on February 20, 2020, before the pandemic broke out and the series of injuries that kept him out of action for almost a whole year arrived, left the Japanese manufacturer with no room for maneuver. Despite this, the multiple champion, who in 2020 only took part in the opening stage in Jerez, where his ordeal began, was generous with the company, accepting to receive “whatever amount Honda was willing to pay”, as he recognized at Motorsport.com a few months ago.

In parallel with the investment in its spearhead, HRC spends just over three million for the sum of the salaries of Pol Espargaro, Alex Marquez and Takaaki Nakagami.

Ducati understands the new economic key

Ducati understood the new times better than anyone else. The Borgo Panigale brand paid almost 17 million euros in salaries between Lorenzo and Dovizioso in 2018, plus another three million euros in prizes to the Forlì. In total, therefore, it broke through 20 million, more than a third of the sum of the entire grid. The Spaniard was not renewed and Dovi subsequently refused the discounted offer he received for 2021. He was offered two and a half million base salaries, when in 2020 he had received about six. A difference that he interpreted as an invitation to leave.

Ducati has opted for young and hungry riders, radically changing its salary allocation.

Photo by: Ducati Corse

In 2021, Ducati paid its riders less than three million euros. This includes the basic salary of his duo of factory drivers, Pecco Bagnaia (vice-world champion) and Jack Miller, that of the duo Pramac, Jorge Martin and Johann Zarco, but also that of Enea Bastianini (Avintia). In 2022 this figure will rise slightly, reaching 3.8 million.

The Italian brand has learned that efforts must be concentrated on the development of the bike, therefore on the attempt to make the Desmosedici GP the best prototype of the grid and therefore the most desirable for the riders. This strategy has allowed Ducati to bring together many young talents who are more hungry for results than for signings. On the eve of the World Cup which kicks off on March 6 in Qatar, things are going well for the men in Red. The good feelings that both the GP21 and the GP22 transmit to those who ride them are directly proportional to the respect that the two bikes have on the part of the rivals who have to face them on the track.

Nothing to do with what happened to Suzuki, where the title won in 2020 saw the payrolls swell in the Hamamatsu offices. In 2018, between Iannone and Rins, the House of the big S paid 5 million euros. In 2022, Mir and Rins will add 10.5 million to each other, while the GSX-RR has given the feeling of being a bit behind the competition’s bikes.

Yamaha has hit the mark. Maverick Vinales, who had a contract worth almost eight million euros for 2022, has given up to go to Aprilia. His side of the garage now belongs to Franco Morbidelli, who will earn 1.5 million euros instead. Quartararo, who joined the factory team last year with a salary of € 2.5 million, will rise to € 4 million this year. Even after taking the title with the Frenchman, the brand with the three tuning forks will therefore save around five million euros this year, paying about half of what it spent in 2021.

Aprilia and KTM are the two sides of the coin. While the Noale manufacturer treats its drivers with velvet gloves and elite sports salaries (about four million between Aleix Espargaro and Vinales), among the ranks of the Austrian manufacturer no one comes close to two million. In fact, the sum of the contracts of the four drivers barely touches 3.6 million euros.

Paradoxically, the “common” salaries, such as the 80,000 euros that Abraham earned four years ago, have disappeared: in 2022, the lowest-paid driver will earn 200,000 euros.

The pandemic has undoubtedly left a mark on MotoGP, as well as on the world in general and on sport in particular. It had a direct impact on the management and operating model of the racing business, also influencing the mentality of many drivers, who are now more focused on winning races than making money, aware that the former will lead to the latter.

Fabio Quartararo has not yet renewed his contract with Yamaha Factory Racing after becoming champion in 2021.

Photo by: Dorna