Formula 1 and MotoGP may share the same weekend for the first time this season. According to Motorsport, Liberty Media is working to hold a motorcycle demonstration during the United States GP in Austin in October.
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The initiative would be another step in Liberty Media’s strategy to bring the two categories closer after completing, in 2024, the acquisition of the Motorcycle World Championship for €4.2 billion. The expectation is to replicate, in the motorcycle championship, part of the commercial growth achieved by the four-wheel category in recent years.
According to the site, the plan includes demonstration laps of MotoGP motorcycles at the Circuit of the Americas during the United States GP weekend, scheduled for October 23 to 25. Since the date coincides with the MotoGP Australian GP at Phillip Island, the category’s main riders would not participate in the exhibition.
Discussions with manufacturers are still ongoing and several points remain undefined. Among them are who will bear the costs of transporting the equipment, which manufacturers will participate in the demonstration, and which riders will be chosen to ride the motorcycles.
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The MotoGP calendar also presents an additional challenge. The Australian round opens a sequence of three consecutive races, followed by Malaysia and Qatar. However, the holding of the Qatari race is still uncertain due to the conflict involving Iran.
In recent days, the World Endurance Championship (WEC) canceled the Qatar and Bahrain rounds due to the situation in the region. In Formula 1, the Bahrain GP was also moved and will be held in Malaysia, keeping only the original name of the round.
The demonstration in Austin is seen as an opportunity to introduce MotoGP to a larger audience, taking advantage of one of the most popular rounds on the Formula 1 calendar. Since taking control of the category, Liberty Media has made it a priority to expand MotoGP’s presence in the United States, where races held at the Circuit of the Americas have recorded low attendance in recent years.
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