MotoGP Boss Admits Challenges for Joint F1 Weekend Despite Fascinating Idea
Apr.17 - A joint race weekend featuring both Formula 1 and MotoGP will be "difficult" to get off the ground.
That is the frank admission of MotoGP boss Carmelo Ezpeleta - even though he said earlier this month that the fascinating idea is being discussed with his F1 counterpart Stefano Domenicali.
"I have spoken with Stefano Domenicali to do an F1 and motorcycling championship on the same weekend at the same circuit," he said.
"We are thinking about it. Stefano has spoken to me about a circuit in Madrid and I have spoken with the mayor of Madrid."
Now, speaking as the 2023 MotoGP championship raced at the US GP venue in Austin, Ezpeleta admitted that the joint weekend idea is a "difficult project".
"Of course we are aware that we are dealing with a difficult project here," the 77-year-old told Speed Week.
"We only have a few circuits on the calendar where Formula 1 and MotoGP race in the same year. "We have found out over the years that something like this can only work if the organiser and the track operator are identical.
"But a street course is absolutely out of the question for MotoGP," Ezpeleta insisted. "We need much larger run-off zones in MotoGP than in Formula 1."
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A combo? Now that would be a spectator dream. The only track I see that could manage it is COTA. The $$$ challenge is would one big race weekend be as profitable as the current setup.