– A joint race weekend of Formula 1 and MotoGP has been repeatedly discussed for years. According to Günther Steiner, this vision could become a reality within the next five years.
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The former Haas team principal, who is now the owner of the KTM-Tech3 team in MotoGP, can imagine a unique event where the two premier classes of motorsport compete on the same weekend on the same track.
Since Liberty Media, the owner of Formula 1, took over MotoGP, there has been increased speculation about joint projects between the two racing series, including a possible double-header. Steiner considers such an event fundamentally feasible, but only at a few racetracks.
“I think we will be there at some point,” he says in the podcast Up To Speed. “There are some racetracks where you could do that, but not many.”
Silverstone as a possible venue
As a concrete example, Steiner names the British Grand Prix circuit in Silverstone. From his point of view, the conditions could basically be met there to accommodate both Formula 1 and MotoGP on one weekend.
For the Tech3 CEO, it is explicitly not about a permanent merging of the two racing calendars. Rather, he could imagine a one-time joint event as a special occasion: “As a one-time event, that would be cool. I really mean one-time, just for a special event. For example, if there is an anniversary of something, it would be cool to do something like that.”
Such a race weekend would, however, be associated with significant organizational challenges. Added to this are the different calendars and schedules of Formula 1 and MotoGP. Therefore, Steiner does not expect a joint appearance to be implemented in the near future.
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“Will it happen in the next one or two years? Maybe not. But maybe in the next five years? I wouldn’t rule it out,” speculates the 61-year-old.
According to him, a joint event would also have a special sporting appeal. “I think it would actually be a good idea to just try it once, because Formula 1 is obviously the premier class of motorsport and MotoGP the premier class of motorcycle racing,” says Steiner.
Several racetracks are possible
Besides Silverstone, there are other tracks that could basically be suitable for such a double-header. These include circuits already used by both Formula 1 and MotoGP: Barcelona/Spain, Spielberg/Austria, Austin/USA, Lusail/Qatar, and Sepang/Malaysia.
Whether and when a joint race weekend actually takes place, however, is not in Steiner’s hands. “It would be cool to hold a one-time joint event as a celebration. But I am neither chairman nor CEO of Liberty Media, so I have no say in this decision.”
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Thus, a joint appearance of Formula 1 and MotoGP remains an idea for now. However, Steiner explicitly considers an implementation within the next five years possible.
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