MotoGP needs to “go to another level” to attract big sponsors – Aprilia

Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola believes MotoGP must be more “aspirational” in order to attract new and bigger sponsors to the championship.

Rivola joined Aprilia’s management structure for the 2019 season after a long tenure at Ferrari in Formula 1, where he held the position of sporting director from 2009-2016 before taking charge of its driver development programme.

The Italian’s move from Toro Rosso to Ferrari in 2009 was driven by then-team principal Stefano Domenicali, who is currently the CEO of F1 and a senior executive at Liberty Media.

Liberty is in the process of acquiring a controlling 86% stake in MotoGP’s rights holder Dorna in a deal that will value the Spanish company at around 4.3 billion euros.

The purchase is currently subject to “an in-depth investigation” by the European Union, which wants to ensure Liberty doesn’t violate any antitrust laws by owning both F1 and MotoGP.

Rivola, who continues to enjoy a strong relationship with Domenicali, believes that Liberty could strengthen the commercial arm of MotoGP, which would help bring in new sponsors to the series.

These comments follow Spanish oil major Repsol leaving the championship after three decades, having been associated with Honda since 1995.

“If we look at what Liberty has done with F1, MotoGP needs someone who is focused on marketing,” Rivola told Motorsport.com.

“In that area, we have to go to another level. We have to reach more people, and be able to attract more and bigger sponsors. I am sure that Liberty will have the right channel to make that step.”

Rivola believes Dorna has done a phenomenal job in promoting MotoGP but feels Liberty is the right company that take it to another level.

He also stressed that the premier class must stand apart from the lower divisions – Moto2 and Moto3 – in order to make itself more appealing to sponsors.

“The future of MotoGP is bright,” he said. “I think we still have a bit of a struggle to get to F1 levels, but we don’t have to copy and paste.

“MotoGP has to be more aspirational than Moto2 and Moto3. Maybe not in the same way as F1, but promoting that aspirational element will attract bigger sponsors.

“Some of these sponsors want to differentiate themselves, given that they bring in a lot of money, and enjoy the fact that they are operating at a certain level.”