Liberty Media, the commercial rights owner of Formula 1, announced on April 1, that it will acquire 86% of MotoGP from its current owner Dorna Sports S.L. The deal will see the latter garner a €4.2 billion (P254 billion) payday while retaining 14% of its equity in the business.

Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta said in a statement: “This is the perfect next step in the evolution of MotoGP, and we are excited for what this milestone brings to Dorna, the MotoGP paddock, and racing fans.”

But what does this mean for us fans?

Since Liberty’s takeover of Formula 1 in 2017, many so-called purists have lamented the blatant commercialization of the sport, its deviation from tradition, and rising ticket prices.

Even the drivers themselves like to complain about Netflix following them around everywhere; the ridiculous length of the calendar; and the many race format experiments being done all in the name of growing fanbase.

Despite that, however, the mass-market success that Formula 1 has enjoyed since is undeniable. Liberty has made F1 more accessible to more fans across the globe with a management style more in line with those practiced by mainstream sporting leagues such as the NBA.

We’ve seen plenty of aggressive licensing deals for merchandise, a stronger social media presence, accessible and relevant race weekend coverage on YouTube, and, of course, Drive to Survive.

And we can expect more of the same for MotoGP under this new management. MotoGP’s calendar consists of 21 races in 2024, which we anticipate will grow in the near future.

MotoGP Unlimited, the sport’s Drive to Survive equivalent, is available to stream on Amazon Prime, but has failed to achieve the same fame as DTS, which Liberty Media will surely be quick to capitalize on.

So, whatever you think of Liberty Media’s out-of-the-box strategy, this takeover is going to bring big changes to MotoGP for better or for worse.