When Liberty Media, the owners of Formula 1, purchased a controlling stake in MotoGP, most folks thought there'd be big changes coming. More tracks, more races, more integration with Formula 1, more media, and more changes of the guard within MotoGP's hierarchy.
Chief among those changes was the real possibility of the Ezpeletas losing their iron grip on the two-wheel race series.
Carmelo and Carlos, the father-and-son duo who've controlled the series for years, will, however, continue controlling the series, and there are sure to be opinions on that fact, with many wondering why Liberty Media would entrust the series' future to them once again. Yet, according to Liberty Media, they're putting full faith in the two, while giving each a new title, new power, and more oversight as the sport enters a new era.
Nothing is really changing here, though.
According to Liberty Media, Carmelo will inherit the title of CEO of MotoGP, while Carlos taking on the helm of Deputy CEO. Basically, they're the head honchos, the grand pubas, the men in charge of steering the ship, i.e., the captains of MotoGP as it comes under Liberty Media's ownership. But that's something that they've already been doing, with both men being the wizards behind the curtains, as well as in front of them, for decades.
How these job titles interact with Liberty Media, as well as Formula 1, however, remains to be seen, as while MotoGP's management has done well to grow the sport in recent years, it's been nothing like the insane rise in popularity that Formula 1 has seen. And the Ezpeletas are still very much old-school thinkers, with old-school thinking and ways of doing business. Something they've been repeatedly criticized for by the press, the teams, would-be teams, and others.
But, for now, they're still around and calling the shots.
According to the press release, which centered around Carlos' ascension to deputy CEO, "MotoGP has built a strong global foundation, and we see an enormous opportunity to take the sport to the next level," said Derek Chang, CEO of Liberty Media, adding, "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."
As for the man himself, Carlos Ezpeleta said, "It is a great honour to take on this role at such an exciting moment for MotoGP. With incredible fans and partners around the world, I look forward to working with Liberty Media and the entire MotoGP community to reach new audiences, create new opportunities and unlock the sport’s full potential."
