Last weekend in Austin, Texas, the periodic roar of engines drowned out conversations and caught the attention of a record-breaking 467,000 fans who gathered under the scorching sun for Formula 1’s US Grand Prix. But it wasn’t Formula 1 cars that were roaring by, and the crowd size wasn’t the weekend’s only record for the history books. Rather, it was the first time MotoGP motorcycles appeared in the paddock, on track, and in the fan zone, and that is very likely a sneak preview of where Liberty Media, the parent company for both motorsports series, is heading as it chases growth.
An idea born from NASCAR and translated to Liberty Media’s audience
“It's the first time ever that the two sports come together in a single event,” Rodrigo Sanchez told me at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) on the same morning four MotoGP bikes would take to the track in front of a Formula 1 crowd. “And this is the only permanent, fully grade A racetrack that could accommodate both.”
Rodrigo, who now serves as Senior Director at COTA and was previously the CMO and National Press Officer for the Mexican Grand Prix, has extensive experience planning and executing premier races across series—F1, MotoGP, NASCAR, and more. Specifically, after working to broker the Viva México 250 NASCAR Cup Series race held in Mexico City in 2025, Rodrigo had the idea for merging major series, just not initially MotoGP and F1.
“Originally my dream and desire was to do an IndyCar-NASCAR event,” Rodrigo explained. “You have both Mexican drivers in both American series, and I think it could be an amazing weekend where you have Pato [O’Ward] with IndyCar and Danny Suárez with the Cup Series.”
A joint IndyCar-NASCAR weekend never came to fruition in Mexico City, but it did happen in Phoenix at the start of 2026. The crossover idea also persisted with Rodrigo, who was then tapped to handle the 2027 Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas, MotoGP’s annual race at COTA every March: “We had an internal talk on who can be the lead point for the MotoGP race, and Bobby [Epstein] and Regan [Holley] gave me that responsibility. I’ve been the direct contact with MotoGP, and since day one, it’s been, ‘How do we increase the footprint in the United States for MotoGP,’ which is an integral market for them.”
While public audience insights are limited, F1 and MotoGP have both released fan surveys which provide the most detailed looks behind the curtain at what data is driving the decision-making. Among what’s public is the 2022 Global MotoGP Fan Survey, conducted by Dorna, Motorsport Network, and Nielsen, which found that “Formula 1 is strongly followed by 56% of the MotoGP audience.” Formula 1’s 2025 Fan Survey showed that other motor racing ranked second to F1 for what U.S. fans regularly follow, ahead of American football. While that doesn’t explicitly point to MotoGP, it does support a willingness to watch more than just F1 itself.
Rodrigo pointed to similar information and how it led to the historic crossover: “Just looking at the data, the biggest correlation in terms of the fans and what people liked in terms of the MotoGP profile, it was Formula 1. It has the biggest correlation in terms of what they like, and it became sort of like the biggest opportunity to bring fans to the [MotoGP] end.
“So we started, sort of, just throwing ideas in terms of, ‘Hey, why don't we put some bikes in Formula 1?’”
MotoGP was on board from the start, he said. “The guys at MotoGP, they were incredible. In life you either have a no attitude or you have a yes attitude. And they completely had a yes. I was like, ‘Okay, how can we make it work?’”
Rodrigo said the plan came together in a matter of months. "And, obviously, it helped, the association with Liberty and that stuff with Formula 1. We knocked on the door with F1 and said, ‘What do you guys think about that?’ And thankfully enough they loved the idea."
Before he knew it, the MotoGP bikes touched down in Austin.
A perfect match made in Austin (and potentially more races to come)
What unfolded over the weekend was clearly a prototype for what could be: a dedicated MotoGP area in the fan zone where fans could get closer to the teams, and, of course, four bikes on track for a 20-minute showcase Saturday morning.
Speaking of the teams, while the main MotoGP teams were on the other side of the world in Australia competing as part of their normal season, four of them sent a rider and team personnel to crew the MotoGP machinery for the showrun.
Test riders Lorenzo Savadori of the SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team, Dani Pedrosa of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, and Andrea Dovizioso of Prima Pramac Racing, as well as Superbike World Champion Nicolo Bulega of the Ducati Lenovo Team, could all be spotted around the F1 paddock and, of course, on track.
For Bulega, the opportunity was clear: “This is a fantastic opportunity to put MotoGP in front of one of the biggest crowds in world motorsport. The atmosphere at COTA is always incredible, and to ride a MotoGP bike in front of so many fans will be a special experience.”
What stood out to me, though, was the reception within the Formula 1 paddock. Beginning as early as Thursday’s media day, before masses of fans were really at the track, crowds were forming around the teams and their bikes. MotoGP crews were giving F1 mechanics and other personnel tours of the bikes, helping them pose for pictures or letting them rev the throttle to show off that distinct roar missing, in my opinion, from the modern F1 machinery.
Even the F1 drivers themselves got in on the action. Bulega gave Audi F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg a run-through of the Ducati, and the two teams posed for a picture on track. It was a similar story for Trackhouse with Williams, and Alpine with Pramac. Alpine F1 driver Franco Colapinto even arrived at the paddock on Pramac’s bike, and, as reported by GPOne, had nothing but praise for the crossover: “It’s fantastic to bring F1 and MotoGP together at the same event. We’re like brothers and it’s the right way to bring fans from both worlds closer together.”
“It's been amazing because even the teams have completely gone crazy with it, and far beyond what we could have ever done by just putting the bikes on track,” Rodrigo told me excitedly. “I think [the Formula 1 teams have] embraced it very, very nicely. And it's, yeah, it's something really cool.”
What’s next for MotoGP and Formula 1?
The reactions from drivers and teams were enthusiastic, and Rodrigo can speak to the promoter side. And while F1 and MotoGP approved the showrun, Liberty Media’s strategy will determine what comes next.
When the European Commission cleared the MotoGP deal in June 2025, Derek Chang, Liberty Media President and CEO, said in the company’s 8-K, “MotoGP is a highly attractive premium sports asset with incredible racing, a passionate fanbase and a strong cash flow profile. We believe the sport and brand have significant growth potential, which we will look to realize through deepening the connection with the core fan base and expanding to a wider global audience.”
Putting bikes in front of an F1 crowd is that strategy in practice. Whether it grows beyond a showrun is something to watch when MotoGP returns to COTA on March 26–28, 2027.
%20(1).jpg)
.png)
.png)