Some 15 months after it was first announced, Liberty Media's acquisition of Dorna Sports, and thus MotoGP, has now been finalised, some five months ahead of its projected completion date. It means that as of this moment, they are now the official commercial rights holders of MotoGP, in a deal that is worth a reported £3.6 billion ($4.9 billion).
The corporation, who also famously own Formula 1, now face an important time ahead, where they will be having to quell the fears and unease of all those within MotoGP, fans included, whilst also implementing new changes.
However, said changes are likely to be more gradual than those we have seen with their work and phenomenal success in Formula 1. Dan Rossomondo, who is the chief commercial officer of Dorna Sports, has stated that "They [Liberty Media] recognise certain patterns in the two businesses that would make sense and that we could take advantage of, but it can't be the same."
Or, to put it another way, it won't just be simply following the rulebook verbatim on what has made one motorsport series successful, which makes total sense, because they are both two separate entities. Further pressed on what changes are likely to be immediately forthcoming, however, and not much more has been said at this stage by Rossomondo or any representatives.
But it is evident that marketing and media rights will be top of the list - the former of which is already being spearheaded by Kelly Brittain, MotoGP's new managing director of global marketing, and which has already been teased on their social media with a striking new logo, bearing the tagline "Faster. Forward. Fearless".
Sponsorship is another area that is likely to be focussed on. At the moment, this is needing development in order to build a strong and impactful portfolio, which presently includes a small handful of backers; namely BMW (who have provided the series' safety cars for races since 1999), Swiss watchmaking firm Tissot (who have been its official timekeepers since 2001), and mid-level partnerships from DHL and Michelin as official tyre suppliers, one of whom is likely to be succeeded by Pirelli for the 2026 championship season.
That said, sponsorships are likely to be an area that MotoGP themselves will still have the biggest responsibility and overall jurisdiction for. If they get it right with Liberty's assistance, then as many F1 teams have proved in recent years, their commercial growth will be instantly visible just on livery alone - which would stand to hopefully benefit everyone involved in making the series the best it can be.
However, there will be many long running MotoGP fans who are still hesitant of what changes might be coming - particularly those who have a great affinity for the series and who are enthusiastic about the traditions and the integrity of the races, and who might react strongly to anything that could compromise that, especially after such a long gestation period between the takeover being announced and negotiations being settled.
If one thinks back to two years ago in 2023, when sprint races were introduced, despite initial opposition these have remained, even if some would argue that there are too many of these than is necessarily needed.
But from an exposure angle, it has undoubtedly increased interest from broadcasters - such as Quest and ITVX who broadcast the races here in the UK - and promoters, and has also, in turn, driven attendance figures as well, as evidenced by the record breaking turnout of 311,000 fans at Le Mans for the French MotoGP back in May.
It is our own belief, based on what we've seen and know so far, that the changes that are coming will be majority positive. It's also likely that there will be things that Liberty Media will get right and some that they perhaps won't - at least, not on the first attempt.
There may, therefore, still be a lot of nerve holding in store for fans and teams for at least the first six months to a year of the new ownership. But there is no level of change, in our experience, that doesn't come without some form of compromise, however big or small - as we will probably see pan out.
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