– As is tradition on the Fridays of the Spanish Grand Prix, Dorna, the promoter of the MotoGP World Championship, now renamed MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group, organizes an event in Jerez titled “Casual Dinner. An evening with the MotoGP family”.
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Invited were, among others, the manufacturers, teams, sponsors, commercial partners, and all areas contributing to the championship. The ownership structure was represented for the first time this year by Derek Chang, President and CEO of Liberty Media. By his side were, as expected, the CEO of the championship, Carmelo Ezpeleta, and his son Carlos, the sporting director of the series.
They were accompanied by senior executives of the series as well as some prominent guests, including Christian Horner, former team principal of the Red Bull Formula 1 team.
Invitations had been sent out weeks in advance, and after participation was confirmed, the hall was prepared for the dinner, with the seating arrangement based on the individual parties and their relationships.
As usual, each manufacturer received its own table with eight to ten seats for its executives and guests, including corresponding name tags.
Several manufacturers skip dinner in Jerez
The surprise for the organizers and especially for the promoter’s leadership was that three of the five manufacturers – Yamaha, Aprilia, and KTM – “stood them up” and did not show up for the reception without prior notice.
At Ducati, neither CEO Claudio Domenicali nor Gigi Dall’Igna (General Manager) or Mauro Grasilli (Sporting Director) participated. The representation of the company from Borgo Panigale consisted only of Davide Tardozzi, team manager of the factory team, and communications director Artur Vilalta. Honda also sent only team manager Alberto Puig and two members of the press department.
Photo gallery: The motorcycles and teams of the 2026 MotoGP season
The empty tables were the manufacturers’ response to the recent counterproposal from MotoGP regarding the draft commercial agreement, which the promoter on one side and the manufacturers and teams on the other have been negotiating for more than a year.
This reaction, a further escalation that significantly increased the pressure in the talks, was poorly received by the new owners. Among them was also Sean Bratches, one of the most important members of the US leadership, who had traveled to Jerez to accelerate the conclusion of the agreement.
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MotoGP promoter changes its strategy
The new “Concorde Deal” is intended to regulate the commercial framework between 2027 and 2031. The manufacturers have so far appeared relatively united in the negotiations to strengthen their bargaining position and enforce certain demands.
The current offer from the MotoGP promoter is limited to a linear increase in financial contributions to the eleven teams on the grid but demands in return a stronger involvement of the teams in hospitality, marketing, image, communication, and social media.
The manufacturers are organized in the MSMA. Just over a year ago, it changed its president and elected Massimo Rivola (CEO of Aprilia) and appointed Lin Jarvis, the former Yamaha team principal, as the new lead negotiator with Dorna. They demand a system change: away from fixed annual compensation towards a share in the overall business.
In their view, MotoGP should model itself on major sports competitions like the Champions League, professional football leagues, the NBA, or NFL.
There, teams receive variable income depending on results, revenue shares, and TV rights and are especially involved in governance. A simple example that has become a point of contention: the MSMA wants to have a say in the design of the race calendar (dates and tracks).
After dinner troubles in Jerez, relations between both sides are so tense that the promoter changed its strategy within a few hours and began conducting separate, individual negotiations with each manufacturer and team.
The first reaction was surprisingly positive: Honda, the financially strongest manufacturer in the championship, has already given its approval. Ducati also shows willingness to compromise, as do the satellite teams VR46 and Gresini (Ducati) as well as LCR (Honda) and Tech3 (KTM). Yamaha remains currently the most determined opponent of the proposed agreement, along with Aprilia and KTM.
A new deadline has now been set for the French Grand Prix (May 8 to 10) to reach a joint agreement. If this fails, the MotoGP promoter intends to conclude separate contracts individually with all parties involved.
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