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Amanda Quick·
Motorcycle News
··6 Comments·2 min read

Formula 1 Weekend Could Host MotoGP Races

W Series Withdrawal Leaves Gap in F1 Schedule, COTA Chief Considers Bikes

A view of the COTA, with MotoGP bikes doing their thing on the circuit proper. Media sourced from COTA.
A view of the COTA, with MotoGP bikes doing their thing on the circuit proper. Media sourced from COTA.

This past weekend, over 440,00 fans showed up to celebrate and enjoy Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix – the biggest attendance in recorded history, and one that speaks volumes to the category’s popularity. 

The massive success in numbers isn’t lost on the chairman of the Circuit of The Americas (COTA), either – especially considering the fact that the present schedule has a gap to fill, thanks to the W Series withdrawing due to funding problems. 

Naturally, COTA boss Bobby Epstein wants that gap filled ASAP for the next schedule – and believe it or not, he wants bikes on the circuit (though Formula 1 will be making the final decision on this). 

A view of the COTA, with MotoGP bikes doing their thing on the circuit proper. Media sourced from MotoGP.
A view of the COTA, with MotoGP bikes doing their thing on the circuit proper. Media sourced from MotoGP.

“I’d love to see the motorcycles race during F1 weekend,” Epstein says simply in a report from Motorsport.com. 

“I think it would be a lot of fun, and I think the fans would like it, so we’re exploring that….we can fill it up either way, two or three support series would be good.”

“If it can’t be an F2 or F3, I think we can get creative…[and] it doesn’t have to be MotoGP, it could be bikes, which would be good for MotoGP, because it would give them a nice platform.”

“In the past, if you go back, [F1 has] done some great celebrity races. That’s something we’ve got to consider.”

A view of the COTA, with MotoGP bikes doing their thing on the circuit proper. Media sourced from Ultimate Motorcycling.
A view of the COTA, with MotoGP bikes doing their thing on the circuit proper. Media sourced from Ultimate Motorcycling.

He has a point; with MotoGP outweighing Formula 1 in certain countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea), and experiencing a similar number of followers on social media platforms such as Instagram (via VOI), our good motorcycle Grand Prix would be an interesting addition, at the very least. 

See also

So what’s the complication?

Two words; safety standards. 

A view of the COTA, with MotoGP bikes doing their thing on the circuit proper. Media sourced from Roadracing World.
A view of the COTA, with MotoGP bikes doing their thing on the circuit proper. Media sourced from Roadracing World.

As long as the homologation requirements match up for both sides of the paddock, welcoming a motorcycle race series into the Formula 1 weekend will be a breeze; as it stands, the homologation specifics are quite different, and will require serious tweaking before we see Lewis Hamilton next to Marc Marquez. 

A view of the COTA, with MotoGP bikes doing their thing on the circuit proper. Media sourced from
A view of the COTA, with MotoGP bikes doing their thing on the circuit proper. Media sourced from

Stay tuned for updates, we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for any changes here; subscribe to our newsletter for better ease of access, drop a comment below letting us know what you think, and as ever – stay safe on the twisties. 

*Media sourced from Ultimate Motorcycling, Roadracing World, Motorsport Guides, MotoGP, and COTA*
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Amanda Quick
Amanda Quick spends her time managing her business, digging into old bike manuals and prepping for Canada's warmer seasons. Her love for bikes has her head stuck in the more futuristic predictions of the Powersports industry, seconded only by her love for cello and obsession with effective communications. Articulate nerd with a terrible sleep schedule and a dotty love for horsepower.
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6 Comments

  2. I haven’t been involved in F1, but in World Endurance Championship.
    Compared to F1, this is a “low buget” series, even for the (then) bigger teams like Toyota, Porsche and Audi.

    So the question will be a logistic one:
    Knowing what could be the burden to install a WEC paddock (not to speak of a F1 one!), how could the organisers make it share the already limited space with a motorbike paddock?

    Unless the track owners decide to go the Silverstone way and build a second row of pits, I do not see how it could be done? Neither I do not see a F1 team pack its gear fast enough to give way to a bike one…

    Too Bad! From a spectator’s view, it could be so nice!

    1. Hey Frédéric,

      Based on how Epstein has been talking, it sounds like he’d be down for including a bit of extra space for bikes.

      Would definitely be a cool sight, to be sure – and from what I hear, there’s no shortage of drivers with motorcycle experience, so I feel the two industries would mesh together very nicely for those few days.

      Guess we will see!

      Thanks for dropping by, and hope you get in a good yoink or two this week. 🙂

      Cheers,

      Amanda

  3. One day I want to be at a F1 race. I’m nit much of a sports like football or basketball,
    But seeing those F1 bikes bikes racing going to those curves where it looks like laying those bikes almost on there side, to watch them come backup and go back, is like Poetry in Motion.

    1. Hey Dj,

      Thanks for stopping by – and couldn’t agree more.

      I personally am waiting with baited breath to hear the final decision on this, so stay tuned – hopefully it won’t be long in coming!

      Cheers,

      Amanda

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