Wanting to change things up or reinvent the Coca-Cola formula may make sense if your product doesn’t work, but when MotoGP is the most spectacular elite motorsport category right now, it is difficult to understand the reasons that lead Liberty Media to make these types of decisions.
We have a championship that after 16 races and after the Japanese GP, has Jorge Martín and Marc Márquez separated by two points. A maximum equality between drivers from two different brands that has already been racing for some time, and in which every detail can decide the future. That for any championship is the best possible presentation, but it seems that it is not enough for Liberty, which is determined to take the show further.
If the F1 drivers have already gotten into Lego karts, why not do a kart race after the warm-up with karts in Motegi? Someone had that idea and it went through filters until it ended up being approved and carried out. What they didn’t count on, perhaps, was that one of the two drivers vying for the title was not in a position to play before the race.
So Marc ended up sending his double to the event while he prepared for the race. Di Giannantonio didn’t come out either after Saturday’s crash, but it was Márquez who caught the attention, because he tried to sneak in a double by posing as the Ducati rider and, obviously, he didn’t make it.
That Marc did not go out on the track is just an anecdote, Liberty’s real failure is wanting to create an artificial show
Márquez is a beast not only on the track, but also managing the environment and knew how to distract attention for a while, and he evaded one of his responsibilities. But then, when he attended to his DAZN colleagues, he did not bite his tongue, acknowledging that there is a line, and that despite understanding the show is to fight for the championship and not for “jokes.” The nine-time champion recognized that he needed to do cold therapy and had to prioritize. When asked by Izaskun Ruiz about whether his ears had been pulled, he was forceful: “Yes, but it is what it is. Obviously they have pulled my ears, but at this moment you have to be selfish and look out for yourself, and be prepared to perform at your best when you have to, which is in the race.”
«I understand the show, but we are here to fight for a championship. They have pulled my ears, but it is what it is » 🗣️
Marc Márquez explains the reason for his double in the kart race 👑🇪🇸
#JapanGP 🇯🇵 #MotoGP 🏁 https://t.co/5k4QsEI5Lg
— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) October 4, 2026
Clear and forceful words that also found some support from Jorge Martín, saying that he understood it and that he was not convinced of the event because any blow can affect the race, which is why he moved away and stayed with the last ones in the first corner.
«I realized quickly that it wasn’t Marc. I understand, when they told us I didn’t have it all with me. I quickly took off in turn 1″ 🗣️
Jorge Martín and Marc Márquez’s double in the kart race
#JapanGP 🇯🇵 #MotoGP 🏁 https://t.co/7Nzp2hmJBG
— DAZN Spain (@DAZN_ES) October 4, 2026
Perhaps being accustomed to sports that need artificial padding to engage the fan, all these extras on competition day can come in handy. And it is also true that bringing the big stars closer to the public must be a priority, but for that there are many formulas and some of them have been effective in MotoGP for years.
