Formula 1 and MotoGP on the same track on the same weekend? With both racing series now owned by Liberty Media, Lewis Hamilton could well imagine it
Now that Formula 1 owner Liberty Media has also recently acquired a majority stake in Dorna Sports and therefore MotoGP, the idea of a concerted event with both racing series on the same weekend is gaining momentum again
This was already being considered before Liberty’s MotoGP deal. However, in the course of the takeover, Dorna’s MotoGP Sporting Director Carlos Ezpeleta once again explicitly emphasized that his organization “does not rule out” the possibility of future joint race weekends with Formula 1.
Lewis Hamilton, himself a self-confessed MotoGP fan, is certainly sympathetic to the idea. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion says: “I haven’t really thought much about it, but of course I’ve read the headlines about it.”
At the same time, he emphasizes: “I think Liberty has done an amazing job with Formula 1, obviously their value of the takeover has increased. So I think they can do a great job with MotoGP.”
“It’s exciting because I love MotoGP. It would be epic if we could have them on the same weekend,” believes the Brit, joking, “Maybe I could race in MotoGP and a Formula 1 car on the same weekend – that would be really cool.” However, he admits that this would be “impossible”.
Hamilton certainly knows what it feels like to sit on a MotoGP bike. In 2019, he and Valentino Rossi swapped their vehicles as part of a PR event. In Valencia, Rossi drove the Mercedes-AMG F1 08 and Hamilton the Yamaha M1
In the short term, however, the idea of joint Formula 1 and MotoGP events is considered unlikely and would only work on larger racetracks where the two categories already hold races – such as Austin – and not on the many new street circuits of Formula 1.