Talks of a MotoGP riders’ union have once again restarted following a secret meeting held on Thursday at the Australian Grand Prix. A number of riders admitted that the precarious situation surrounding the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix has prompted them to once again start considering better representation to protect their collective interests against championship promoters and teams.
The meeting in question included a crucial vote on whether the riders actually wanted to race at Lusail in two weeks' time given recent growing fears of a significant escalation of conflict in the region. Sources indicate that two-thirds of the entire grid voted against racing under the current unsettling circumstances, showcasing a massive united front among the competitors.
It is believed that this pivotal gathering might lead to further drastic action, with strong suggestions that riders are now actively considering enlisting joint legal representation. This legal avenue would be utilized to challenge any decision by their respective teams, and ultimately the championship management, to force them to attend the event against their safety concerns.
While a definitive resolution has not yet been reached regarding the immediate crisis, the issue has highlighted to several competitors just how little decision-making power they actually hold in the grand scheme of the series. Speaking about the urgent need for solidarity, Tech3 KTM racer Enea Bastianini shed light on the ongoing internal discussions.
"We have talked," Bastianini explained afterwards, "and it is important for everyone to talk together. For our future, it is important. We started two years ago with this union project, but we didn’t finalise it, and I think it is important to have a little bit of power. The teams have power, Dorna have power - but us, we have nothing. That isn’t normal, because our world doesn’t exist without us, even if we also don’t exist without the MotoGP world, so there needs to be a compromise."
This renewed push for better rider representation comes only days after MotoGP deputy CEO Carlos Ezpeleta addressed the media following the contentious introduction of a high-intensity weekend format. Ezpeleta defended the championship's stance by explaining that formal communication channels run through the team structures rather than individual competitors.
"We don't have any contracts with the riders," Ezpeleta stated when quizzed on why riders were excluded from direct consultations regarding sporting format changes. "We have contracts with the teams. They are part of the governance of the championship, part of the governance model of the championship, and by no means are we saying the riders shouldn't be involved. Our door has always been open, and there's been a safety commission gathering on race weekends for a very long time."
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