MotoGP Manufacturers Boycott Liberty Dinner in Jerez, Forcing New Negotiation Strategy

• Honda has already committed to signing the new Concorde Agreement, according to Motorsport.com
• The promoter has set the French GP in mid-May as the deadline for an overall agreement
• The MSMA is demanding a percentage-based revenue share instead of fixed payments

On Friday evening before the 2026 Spanish GP, the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (MotoGP SEG), formerly Dorna, hosted the traditional “Casual Dinner” at the Bodegas Gonzalez Byass in Jerez, Andalusia. It is an event where manufacturers, teams, sponsors, and business partners of the championship come together every year. This year’s hosts were Derek Chang, President and CEO of Liberty Media, together with MotoGP CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta and his son Carlos Ezpeleta, the series’ sporting director. Among the star guests was Christian Horner, former team principal of the Red Bull Formula 1 team. Sean Bratches, one of the most influential members of the American leadership, had also traveled specifically to Jerez to accelerate the signing of a new agreement.

Why Did the Manufacturers Skip the MotoGP Dinner in Jerez?

Three of the five MotoGP manufacturers did not attend the dinner at all. Yamaha, Aprilia, and KTM skipped the event entirely without prior notice. Ducati was only symbolically represented: neither CEO Claudio Domenicali, nor General Director Gigi Dall’Igna, nor Sporting Director Mauro Grassilli came to Jerez. The factory from Borgo Panigale was represented only by team manager Davide Tardozzi and communications director Artur Vilalta. Honda also dispensed with senior executives, sending only team manager Alberto Puig and two members of the press department.

The empty tables in the center of the dining hall were the manufacturers’ response to the promoter’s latest counteroffer in negotiations over the new commercial framework agreement that have been ongoing for over a year. This reaction did not go down well with the new owners.

What Are the MotoGP Manufacturers Demanding from Liberty Media?

The five manufacturers have been negotiating for more than a year over the new “Concorde Agreement,” which is set to define the commercial framework of MotoGP from 2027 to 2031. Until now, the constructors had managed to present a united front. The manufacturers’ association MSMA, led by President Massimo Rivola (CEO of Aprilia) and Lin Jarvis, former managing director of Yamaha, is demanding a fundamental systemic change.

The manufacturers want to move away from the current fixed annual lump sum toward a percentage-based share of the series’ total revenue. They point to models from other major sports competitions such as the Champions League, the NBA, or the NFL, where teams receive variable amounts depending on their results, share in TV rights, and above all have a say in the governance of the competition.

According to available information, MotoGP SEG’s offer is limited to a linear increase of previous payments to the eleven teams on the grid. According to Autosport, the current offer stands at around 8 million euros per factory team per season, distributed across various components. This would represent an increase of approximately one million euros over the existing contract. Satellite teams currently receive around 6.5 to 7 million euros annually, according to GPOne. For comparison: MotoGP’s annual revenue stands at around 460 to 480 million euros according to GPOne, and Liberty Media had acquired the majority of commercial rights in 2025 for a total valuation of approximately 4.2 billion euros.

What Other Points of Contention Exist Beyond Money?

Beyond the financial dimension, there are several additional areas of conflict. A central point of contention is the co-determination of the race calendar. The MSMA has demanded a say in scheduling and the selection of circuits, but the promoter has so far refused.

Additionally, there is the question of who owns the grid slots. Currently, MotoGP SEG awards grid positions to teams for five-year periods. The teams are pushing to hold these rights themselves, which would significantly strengthen their bargaining position with sponsors and potential investors.

In return for higher payments, MotoGP SEG is demanding significantly greater participation from teams in marketing the series. According to Autosport, this includes expanding marketing and communications departments, providing race-ready MotoGP prototypes for promotional events, and improving hospitality at overseas races. A source close to the negotiations told Autosport that the additional services demanded alone would already cost more than the offered increase of one million euros.

How Did MotoGP SEG React to the Boycott in Jerez?

The affront at the Friday dinner escalated the situation so severely that MotoGP SEG changed its negotiating strategy within hours. Instead of continuing to negotiate with the united MSMA front, the promoter switched to speaking individually and separately with each manufacturer and team. This approach clearly aims to break up the manufacturers’ previous unity.

The initial results of this new tactic were positive for MotoGP SEG. Honda, the strongest manufacturer in the field by revenue and global influence, has already committed to signing, according to Motorsport.com. Ducati is also said to have moved closer. Among the satellite teams, there is movement as well: VR46 and Gresini (both Ducati customer teams), LCR (Honda), and Tech 3 (KTM) are reportedly open to the new course.

On the other side currently stand Yamaha, Aprilia, and KTM, who are opposing the proposed agreement most decisively. This means the previously united front of manufacturers has publicly fractured for the first time.

What Is the Deadline for the New Concorde Agreement?

According to Motorsport.com, MotoGP SEG has set the French GP at Le Mans, which takes place in approximately two weeks, as the deadline for a joint agreement. Should no overall contract materialize by then, the promoter intends to switch definitively to individual negotiations with each party and conclude separate agreements.

What Does the Dispute Mean for the 2027 MotoGP Season?

The effects of the stalled negotiations are already visible in the current season. So far, no manufacturer has officially signed up for participation in MotoGP from 2027, even though all five are already working intensively on their new 850cc machines for the upcoming regulation era. The MSMA has decided to withhold the announcement of already agreed rider contracts for 2027 as leverage, as long as no commercial agreement is in place.

Even before the Jerez weekend, the situation had reached a critical point. At the US Grand Prix in Austin in early April, the MSMA representatives had met for an internal strategy dinner on Saturday evening, organized by Ducati and Aprilia. Attendees included Michele Colaninno (CEO of the Piaggio Group), Claudio Domenicali (Ducati CEO), and Gottfried Neumeister (KTM CEO). On Sunday morning, the meeting with Liberty’s leadership around Derek Chang followed, lasting about an hour and ending without results according to Autosport, as the positions were too far apart.

The dinner boycott in Jerez marks another escalation in a conflict that could fundamentally reshape MotoGP’s political landscape. The question is no longer whether there will be a new agreement, but whether the manufacturers will negotiate as a bloc or whether Liberty Media can successfully divide them. The coming weeks until the French GP at Le Mans are likely to decide.

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