MotoGP Can’t Simply Copy F1’s Drive to Survive Success, Warns Chase Carey

Liberty Media’s Growth Strategy for MotoGP

Liberty Media director Chase Carey believes MotoGP cannot rely on Formula 1’s exact marketing playbook to achieve global growth. Following Liberty Media’s acquisition of Formula 1 in January 2017, the series underwent a major surge in popularity, largely propelled by the 2019 debut of the hit Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive. However, as the American mass media company expands its footprint into two-wheel racing, Carey cautions against duplicating the same blueprint.

In July 2025, Liberty Media acquired an 84% stake in Dorna Sports, which has since been rebranded as the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group. The enterprise faces distinct commercial tasks, including diversifying the championship’s rider lineup—where 11 of the top 12 competitors in the 2026 MotoGP championship are Spanish or Italian—and growing its audience reach across the United States.

Speaking at the Autosport Business Exchange conference in New York, Carey highlighted the differences between the two premier racing categories. Certainly there are elements of what teams need to do in MotoGP that will have similarities to Formula 1, Carey said. Obviously, it is a global franchise.

In some ways, MotoGP is even crazier. When you look at these guys, they look like they’re lying on the pavement riding the motorcycles around. But it is a sport that also has its unique characteristics. And I think you can’t just cookie-cutter [the approach].

It’s early days. They’re working on it, developing the strategies, the opportunities of how you take that sport and grow it in the way we’ve tried to with Formula 1.

The Impact and Limits of the ‘Drive to Survive’ Model

The release of Drive to Survive proved to be a transformative moment for Formula 1, capturing an entirely new fan demographic that was further boosted by global lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic shortly after the premiere of season two. Carey reflected on how essential the docuseries was in transforming the sport’s promotional architecture.

Drive to Survive is probably the most obvious example, Carey acknowledged. We recognised we needed to have the personalities that make up the sport, give them a bigger platform and let fans engage.

The digital world today is a 24/7 world. The premium experience is still that live race, but at the end of the day people are connecting with the race, following the race and clips of the race, clips of what people are doing, things going on behind the scenes.

They’re following that 24/7. So we need to continue to find ways to feed that appetite and that desire to connect with their sport, provide the vehicles that enable fans to connect with the sport in that way.

This commitment to digital media has yielded measurable returns in high-priority territories. Right now the US is the biggest YouTube market for our sport. So it tells you about the connection we’re having through [those] vehicles, Carey noted. Drive to Survive has become a centerpiece in the digital efforts. A lot of efforts are going on with digital, but that certainly is the centerpiece. It has been an incredibly important, valuable franchise for us.

Avoiding Direct Imitation in Sports Entertainment

Despite Formula 1’s success sparking similar documentary initiatives across multiple sports, Carey warned that direct imitation rarely produces the same commercial outcome. He drew parallels to his tenure at Fox to illustrate why copycat media strategies often fall short.

You should look for opportunities, the American insisted. Realistically, everybody saw Drive to Survive and then everybody tried to do it. Golf tried to do their Full Swing, tennis tried to do Break Point – everybody.

Usually, you can’t just copy something. I think we learned that at Fox with American Idol. American Idol sort of captured the world’s imagination, and there were shows that came behind and did well, but there was only one American Idol that really did that.

I think generally you can’t go out and do the same thing. You’ve got to find ways to use opportunities, use personalities, use digital platforms, develop great partners.

Carey cited Formula 1’s collaboration with major technology and entertainment players as a prime example of bespoke growth, pointing to external initiatives like high-profile film projects and broadcast alignments. A partner in Formula 1 like Apple, I think this is where Apple has brought a whole new perspective to how you broadcast and connect with fans. So I think that type of opportunity, you’ve got to then see what you can do with it, how you develop it, Carey explained.

They have to follow their own path and find their own opportunities. The Formula 1 movie was a great opportunity for that, but you can’t just go out and do a MotoGP movie. That may not be the right opportunity.

But there may be something else – there will be something else. It’s probably not just doing the same things you did, it’s finding those opportunities, finding those personalities.

Why This Matters

Liberty Media’s takeover of Dorna Sports marks one of the most consequential commercial realignments in modern motorsport. By bringing both Formula 1 and MotoGP under the same corporate umbrella, Liberty Media commands the premier tiers of both four-wheel and two-wheel racing. However, applying F1’s growth strategy directly to MotoGP presents hurdles: MotoGP’s global fan footprint has historically centered around Southern Europe, reflected in the fact that 11 of the top 12 riders in the 2026 championship hail from Spain or Italy.

Expanding the sport into North America and other untapped international markets requires customized engagement. Rather than forcing a standard documentary or feature film format, the newly minted MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group must develop native content platforms and distinct commercial alliances that leverage motorcycle racing’s intense track action and rider personalities on their own terms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Liberty Media purchase MotoGP?

Yes. Liberty Media acquired an 84% controlling stake in Dorna Sports—now operating as the MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group—in July 2025.

Will MotoGP get a series identical to Formula 1’s Drive to Survive?

According to Liberty Media director Chase Carey, MotoGP will not simply copy the Drive to Survive model. While the organization plans to focus on digital engagement and rider personalities, Carey stated that MotoGP must find its own unique opportunities rather than applying a cookie-cutter approach.

What are the main commercial challenges facing MotoGP under Liberty Media?

Key priorities include broadening the championship’s geographic reach—particularly increasing its commercial and fan footprint in the United States—and addressing the geographic concentration of talent, given that 11 of the top 12 competitors in the 2026 championship represent Italy or Spain.