The subject has been put aside since the arrival of Coronavirus which made it obsolete. But as it is a strong desire of the promoter Dorna who sees it as a tool for its economic expansion, it will return to the table. What is it about ? A Grand Prix calendar made up of 20 meetings and even more over the next two years. An inflation which greatly worries the Moto3 teams. The proof…
This 2020 season will be content with 13 races some of which will take place on the same circuit two weekends consecutively. A godsend in these times of health crisis which will cause economic depression. But the recipe is not intended to be sustainable. This year, 20 Grands Prix were planned and they must be on the program in 2021. A start since no less than 22 meetings are planned in the short term.
Inflation which will generate income but which will also result in additional costs. An aspect that greatly worries the teams of a Moto3 who does not yet completely know in what state he will emerge from this terrible 2020 financial year. The Sterilgarda Max Racing team of Max Biaggi et Peter Öttl will compete in the competition with the Italian Roman Fenati and the Spanish Alonso Lopez, who form the official factory team for the first time Husqvarna. But even though we have these beautiful colors, we still have to count our money…
The German thus presented the situation to Günther Wiesinger of Speedweek. com : " It is extremely important for Dorna to have all 20 Grand Prix scheduled, as it means more revenue from organizers, TV rights, GP naming rights and advertising. Therefore, Dorna will strive to be able to execute the planned number of races. And the revenue is partly passed on to the teams. But the additional races are mainly foreign races, so additional team income does not cover additional costs for expensive long trips. I cannot pass these additional costs on to sponsors »
“It is becoming more and more difficult to find budgets”
A squaring of the circle which will become more complex over the years. Indeed, after 2021, teams will have to face a maximum of 22 instead of a maximum of 20 Grand Prix per year. “ If I talk to colleagues from other racing teams, including those from Spain, they say the same thing », reports Öttl. " It is becoming more and more difficult to acquire the necessary sponsorship amounts and at the same time we have to finance more and more races ».
« For MotoGP this may be OK so far, although Pit Beirer also claims that he prefers to avoid races abroad in 2020 due to the tight budget situation and considerable additional costs. For now, fewer races would be better for us. Because the quality of the championship does not suffer. If we have 18 races instead of 22, we still have a good season. You don't have to overdo it »
He adds : " If you participate in the world championship, you must accept the conditions as they are. But it's certainly not easy for lower-class teams. Dorna may need more races in the future to make up for whatever is canceled in 2020 ". But then what to do? Here too, nothing is simple: “ every change must be carefully considered,” concludes Öttl. “Because manufacturers have to sell new motorcycles to recoup their costs. You may have to compromise in the future »
