Since Liberty Media's acquisition of MotoGP, the lines have been shifting... sometimes violently. While some worry about seeing the premier class lose its DNA, others see it as a historic opportunity for evolution. And among the most fervent supporters of change is KTM, determined to import a key rule from Formula 1: the budget cap. A simple idea on paper, but explosive in the paddock.
It is Richard Coleman, future team director Tech3 from 2026, who confirmed it in the podcast Business of Sports : " some manufacturers, including KTM's own, are already pushing for us to have a cost cap »
The reference is clear: this is the model introduced in F1 in 2021 by Liberty Medium, limiting spending to level the competition and avoid financial excess. But in MotoGP, the imbalance is still palpable.
Coleman sums it up with a squeaky formula: " Of course, turkeys don't vote for Christmas. The Japanese have performed very poorly in recent years, and Honda sells over 20 million motorcycles a year. They can do whatever they want. »
Implied: Honda has the means to spend without counting… and will not want to limit its industrial advantage.
The budget ceiling: Honda, the giant that blocks it?
The standoff seems to have begun. KTM is openly in favor of a deep economic reform of MotoGP. Honda, on the other hand, is united. Because a cap would mean giving up its structural financial advantage in a context where its sporting results are already in decline.
KTM's new CEO, Gottfried Neumeister, had already hinted at it upon his arrival last September: competitiveness must also involve budgetary fairness. And KTM doesn't just talk: she acts, by pushing Liberty Medium to accelerate on this ground.
But there is no guarantee of rapid adoption. Coleman warns: " These things don't happen overnight »
Another surprising revelation from Richard Coleman: “ If we consider the six independent teams, they are all profitable. They all make money. »
A situation that's the polar opposite of Formula 1, where only a few teams survive without debt. This hasn't escaped the notice of potential investors: Lewis Hamilton et Max Verstappen have already been approached to buy a MotoGP team. Coleman sees this as an opportunity:
« In the manufacturers' teams, we mainly talk about R&D budgets. But on the independent side, it's a healthier model, more economically viable »
A shock argument to attract F1 champions into the MotoGP paddock... and to justify rules similar to those they already know.
Pete Beirer (KTM) has already proposed joint F1-MotoGP weekends. An idea still taboo for many purists, but which Liberty Medium looks with appetite. The arrival of a budget ceiling would go in the same direction, by further professionalizing the structure and facilitating the arrival of global sponsors.
But as long as Honda et Yamaha resist, the transition will not be peaceful. The grid is now fractured between pro-reform (KTM, Aprilia, Ducati) and conservatives (Honda, potentially Yamaha). And the war for influence is only just beginning.
The MotoGP version Liberty Medium Will it be more egalitarian, more profitable... but also smoother? Or is this the beginning of an ideological clash between the Europe of rational competition and the Japan of absolute technical tradition?
One thing is sure: KTM no longer intends to play supporting roles. And with Liberty at his side, it is perhaps the whole model MotoGP who is about to change gear.
