The F1 aspect it’s “unthinkable” for MotoGP to replicate

There is one aspect of Formula 1’s recent growth that it is “unthinkable” for MotoGP to replicate, according to Pramac boss Paolo Campinoti.

Recent years have seen F1 grow from simply the largest motorsport championship in the world to one of the leading sporting entities thanks largely to its ability and willingness to attract an audience which is not only younger but also less dominated by men.

Its growth among young people has increased the cultural relevance of F1, which in turn has attracted more wealthy people to sport, people who want to pay for an exclusive experience at an event, more than merely attend it.

In the opinion of Pramac boss Paolo Campinoti, F1’s audience demographic leaves an opportunity for MotoGP, which is not as glamorous or clean as the premier four-wheeled series.

“Formula 1 today has a different audience than ours,” said Campinoti, speaking on Andrea Migno’s Mig Babol podcast, as reported by GPOne.

“It has shifted completely toward the high end, leaving us plenty of room to position ourselves better.”

But Campinoti does not think MotoGP can take the same direction to the same extremity that F1 has, with tickets for its Paddock Club exceeding €15,000, or around £13,000.

“It’s not right, and it’s unthinkable to reach those levels, but we can certainly take a step in that direction,” the Pramac Yamaha owner said.

The general trend of MotoGP in recent years has been to cut costs to improve margins. For example, on the technical side there is one tyre manufacturer and control electronics, while in the lower classes Moto3 is becoming a single-make series with bikes provided by Yamaha, and both Moto3 and Moto2 have had their track time cut with no Warm Up session and shortened practices – in some cases, like in the US, even shortened races.

Campinoti, though, thinks that this is not helping MotoGP; instead, he thinks, it needs to invest more.

“To increase revenue, we need to do things that are a little more– it’s hard to say, sexier,” he said.

He continued: “If we keep saying we’re saving €100 on transportation, fine, you save it. 

“But real change comes from increasing revenue, not cutting costs.”

Campinoti’s comments come as MotoGP passes the one-year mark on its ownership by Liberty Media, which also owns F1 and has been the driving force behind its commercial expansion and resultant financial growth.