MotoGP is set to be purchased by Liberty Media, thus ending up with the same owners as Formula 1. The deal is not yet confirmed and may have to go through the scrutiny of the European Union authorities to ensure it does not involve anti-competitive practices.
Both championships were close to having the same owners when in 2006 CVC Capital Partners – at the time owner of Dorna Sports – acquired F1. However, it ended up having to divest itself of MotoGP due to the European authorities’ intervention.
And, according to Giacomo Agostini, before that there was another attempt for F1 to acquire MotoGP. The former rider revealed to the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, quoted by Corse di Moto, that Bernie Ecclestone was the mastermind of that attempt four decades ago:
– He was convinced, but didn’t think it was the best time, and that if we waited a little longer he would pay less. I didn’t agree, but I trusted him obviously, he was certainly much more experienced. But others thought about it. It’s a shame, I should have been in charge of the World Championship.
