Pit Beirer (KTM): A completely different dream in Formula 1 / MotoGP

American group Liberty Media wants to invest 4.2 billion euros to take more than 86 percent of the shares in MotoGP rights holder Dorna. The evaluation by the European Commission’s competition watchdog is still ongoing, but so far none of the parties concerned fears that it will not be possible to merge the world’s two biggest motor racing series under one umbrella.

Since Liberty’s takeover in 2016, Formula 1 has undergone a global transformation, which is also reflected in the distribution of teams.

Of course, the economic connections in the triangle FIA, FOM (Formula One Management), that is, Liberty Media, and the ten GP teams are not available to the public. But intelligent journalists continue to dig for information.

Accordingly, Liberty Media distributed a total of $1.2 billion in prize money to the teams for the 2023 season, which would mean the equivalent of 115 million euros per racing team. However, the actual amount paid depends on certain criteria such as placement in the constructors’ championship.

To get an idea of ​​the scale: Ferrari received 208 million US dollars in prize money this year, which is currently a cool 200 million euros. Haas, as the worst team, still received 67 million euros.

Teams and manufacturers in MotoGP dream of such money: in 2023, Dorna only paid a total of 70 million euros in three GP classes.

“Liberty Media has made an offer of 4.2 billion for MotoGP and we all hope it can be accepted,” said KTM Motorsport Director Pit Beirer in an exclusive interview with SPEEDWEEK.com over Christmas. “The five manufacturers of Honda, Yamaha, Ducati, Aprilia and KTM represent a very large value of this 4.2 billion.”

Because there should be 22 starting positions in the future, MotoGP has become a very special club and Beirer knows this value.

MotoGP’s intended takeover by Liberty Media makes a big contribution to the fact that investors from the four-wheel area are now interested in the fascinating world of two-wheelers and want a piece of the growing pie.

Good luck to KTM, because the restructuring process that has been going on since November 29 has put its motorsport promise to the test and every extra euro is welcome.

“New sponsors have been found, and I would like to include one or two investors among the partners,” revealed Beirer. “Investors bring a large network that has brought new sponsors on board. I am not allowed to mention any names yet because we want to present them properly. Through strong partners we can expand marketing to go beyond the racing scene with our MotoGP promotion.

“Our first contacts with investors were people who already had a lot to do with Formula 1 and Liberty Media. They have completely different ideas about how things will be for us,” added the second winner of the 52-year-old motocross world champion. “Formula 1 pundits speak openly about the fact that before Liberty Media got involved, teams could be bought for very little money if one was acquired or had financial difficulties. These days the teams are worth more than a billion.

At the end of November 2024, the SportsPro website listed Ferrari as the most valuable Formula 1 team with 4.6 billion euros, followed by Mercedes (3.79 billion euros) and Red Bull Racing (3.37 billion euros).

Beirer knows that KTM occupies a special place due to its strong presence in the MotoGP paddock. “Now we have been the second best manufacturer in the MotoGP World Championship twice in a row and at the same time, together with Red Bull, we have 30 players under contract to whom we are giving a chance to taste the MotoGP paddock. without any cost,” said the boss of the Austrian race. «Then we have the Moto3 and Moto2 teams and we offer four bikes in the MotoGP class. Of the five manufacturers, we are the ones that can support the rise of talent to MotoGP. We are a good partner and – also through the entry of Liberty Media – we want to focus more on business and no longer focus on pure sponsorship or sports sponsorship.”