Liberty Media tightened its grip on global motorsport in 2025.
Following the acquisition of Dorna Sports — owner of MotoGP — the US group posted a 23% increase in revenue, reaching $4.48 billion (€3.8bn). The results reflect the first year in which both premier global championships operated under the same corporate umbrella.
Formula 1 Remains the Core Engine
Formula 1 generated $3.87 billion, up 13% year-on-year. Operating profit rose 28% to $632 million, while net income reached $555 million, reversing a $30 million loss in 2024 largely attributed to acquisition costs.
Revenue Breakdown – F1
- Media Rights (31.3%) – $1.21bn
- Race Promotion Fees (26.7%) – $1.03bn
- Sponsorship (21.7%) – $840m
- Hospitality & Paddock Club (20.3%) – $786m
Media rights remain the sport’s financial backbone, supported by subscription growth at F1 TV and incremental revenues tied to F1-related entertainment productions.
Attendance also hit a record 6.75 million fans across 24 Grands Prix (+4% YoY). The Las Vegas Grand Prix alone surpassed 300,000 attendees and generated 1.8 billion social media impressions, reinforcing the commercial power of destination events.
F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali highlighted the upcoming Madrid race, the entry of Cadillac and Audi, and the return of Honda and Ford as signals of sustained momentum heading into the sport’s next regulatory cycle.
MotoGP: First-Year Acceleration Under Liberty
MotoGP delivered $573 million in total 2025 revenue (+14%). However, since the acquisition closed in July, Liberty only consolidated second-half results — $325 million in revenue and $54 million in operating profit (+86%).
Revenue Breakdown – MotoGP
- Media Rights (41.2%) – $236m
- Race Hosting Fees (33.7%) – $193m
- Sponsorship (12.7%) – $72.7m
- Other (Superbikes, Hospitality, Merchandising) (12.4%) – $71m
Like F1, MotoGP relies heavily on broadcast income, though it still trails in sponsorship monetization and premium hospitality scale.
CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta emphasized calendar diversification, commercial expansion, and the championship’s planned return to Brazil, alongside the announcement of a modern-era urban Grand Prix in Adelaide from 2027.
The Bigger Picture: Motorsport as a Media Asset
With $4.48 billion in combined revenue, Liberty Media is effectively building a two-tier motorsport portfolio anchored in global media rights, destination races, and premium experiential revenue.
The strategic logic is clear:
- Expand IP across platforms
- Grow direct-to-consumer subscriptions
- Increase sponsorship inventory
- Elevate hospitality margins
If Formula 1 represents the fully scaled model, MotoGP is now the optimization project.
And in 2025, that strategy is already paying off.