- Appointment announced on Tuesday, 25 August 2026
- Carlos Ezpeleta moves from the role of sporting director to his father’s side
- Further management appointments are set to follow at a later date
A little over a year after Liberty Media came on board, it is now clear who is to lead MotoGP over the coming years. The MotoGP Group announced on Tuesday that Carlos Ezpeleta is being promoted to deputy CEO. Carmelo Ezpeleta remains head of the company, with his son standing alongside him as the official number two. The announcement states that the move recognises Carlos Ezpeleta’s significant contribution to the development of the sport and strengthens the leadership team for the next phase of growth.
What changes with the appointment of Carlos Ezpeleta?
Formally the hierarchy changes, not the distribution of power. Carmelo Ezpeleta remains CEO and keeps decision-making authority, while Carlos Ezpeleta gives up his previous post as sporting director and becomes the official deputy.
That does not yet amount to a genuine handover between father and son. The move is seen more as an intermediate step that prepares the transition without completing it. In the paddock, Carlos Ezpeleta had long been regarded as the man likely to take over the company one day. His role in strategic decisions had been growing steadily.
One subordinate clause in the official announcement is worth noting: the MotoGP Group says the leadership team will be expanded further for the next growth phase and that additional appointments will be announced in due course. The restructuring at the top is therefore not yet complete.
From intern to deputy CEO
Carlos Ezpeleta joined Dorna Sports, as the company was then called, as an intern in 2007. His first task was to help race control evaluate television footage of incidents. During his studies he worked in technical scrutineering, checking whether the machines being raced complied with the regulations.
He came on board permanently in 2013, initially as coordinator of the medical team and as driver of the safety car. From 2017 he headed the sporting department, and in 2020 he was additionally appointed managing director. Since 2021 he had held the title of Chief Sporting Officer, usually referred to as sporting director.
Born in 1991, he studied mechanical engineering and business administration at the Universidad Europea de Madrid. He was also active as a racer himself and won a title in the Spanish endurance championship in 2012. Between 2017 and 2019 he added two consecutive titles in the GSeries ice racing series.
What has Carlos Ezpeleta been responsible for so far?
As sporting director he was in charge of the sporting and technical side of the championships. That also included contacts with promoters and organisers as well as coordination with the FIM, IRTA and MSMA in the Grand Prix Commission, the body that decides on rule changes.
Through that route his influence grew over matters reaching far beyond race operations. He was involved in questions of regulations and safety, as well as in shaping the race calendar and opening up new markets. It is precisely this breadth that the official announcement highlights: Carlos Ezpeleta has played a key role for more than a decade, expanding the international presence, strengthening strategic partnerships, improving the commercial offering and growing the global fan base.
His father describes it in similar terms. Carmelo Ezpeleta says his son’s experience now spans every area of the business and that his leadership qualities, his vision and his passion for the sport make him the right person to take MotoGP into its next chapter.
Why is Liberty Media still backing the Ezpeleta family?
Liberty Media is sticking with the management model built up under the Dorna name and wants to use that experience for its own growth programme. The promotion is therefore read as a vote of confidence in the family.
The US group, which also owns Formula 1, completed its takeover of the rights holder on 3 July 2025 and acquired around 84 per cent of the shares. The remaining 16 per cent stayed with the existing management. The value of the transaction is put at roughly 4.2 billion euros (around 4.9 billion US dollars). International expansion and deeper penetration of key markets such as the USA have been the top priorities ever since. Against that backdrop, the company, which now trades as the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, is undergoing a restructuring that mainly affects promotion and marketing.
Derek Chang, CEO of Liberty Media, justifies the appointment with an eye on what lies ahead. He says: „Carlos has the experience, vision and deep understanding of MotoGP to help lead that transformation, and we are excited to support him as he takes on this new position.“
Carlos Ezpeleta himself speaks of a great honour. „It is a great honour to take on this role at such an exciting moment for MotoGP“, he is quoted as saying. He goes on to say that, together with Liberty Media and the entire MotoGP community, he wants to reach new audiences and unlock the sport’s full potential.
His father has led the company since 1994 and has steered the series through several difficult periods, among them the 2008 financial crisis and the coronavirus pandemic. An earlier building block of the restructuring was the hiring of Vince Russell, who joined in May as Chief Financial Officer.
Who succeeds Carlos Ezpeleta as sporting director?
That question is open. MotoGP has not yet confirmed who will take over the vacated post.
The timing makes the gap significant, because the position steers precisely those areas that will be under heavy demand over the coming months. Since the announcement flags up further appointments, filling the role is likely to be part of a larger personnel package.
Restructuring ahead of the biggest rule change since 2002
The promotion comes at a point when the technical foundations of the series are shifting. Next season brings the biggest set of rule changes since the MotoGP era began in 2002.
Displacement drops to 850 cc, the number of permitted aerodynamic parts is capped, and all ride-height and holeshot devices are banned. Those are the systems that lower the machine at the start and under acceleration to generate more drive. Whoever sits at the top of the organisation will have to guide that switch through both sportingly and commercially.
Placed in the context of the ongoing 2026 season, the news reaches the paddock on its way to Alcañiz. The Grand Prix of Aragon, round 13 of the year, takes place there from 28 to 30 August.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What role does Carlos Ezpeleta take on at MotoGP?
Carlos Ezpeleta has been deputy Chief Executive Officer of the MotoGP Group since 25 August 2026. Before that he was the series sporting director. He is therefore officially the number two behind his father Carmelo.
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Does Carmelo Ezpeleta remain CEO of MotoGP?
Yes. Carmelo Ezpeleta stays on as CEO and will in future be supported by his son as deputy. The move does not involve a handover of leadership.
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Who owns the commercial rights to MotoGP?
The rights sit with the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, formerly the company Dorna Sports. Liberty Media completed the takeover on 3 July 2025 and acquired around 84 per cent of the shares, at a transaction value of roughly 4.2 billion euros (around 4.9 billion US dollars).
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How long has Carlos Ezpeleta worked for MotoGP?
He joined Dorna Sports as an intern in 2007 and came on board permanently in 2013. Via roles as coordinator of the medical team, head of the sporting department from 2017 and managing director from 2020, he became sporting director in 2021.
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Who will be the new MotoGP sporting director?
That has not been decided yet. MotoGP has not confirmed a successor for the post so far, but has announced further appointments to the leadership team.
