MotoGP warned over power dynamic as rider union talks intensify

Marco Bezzecchi says the secret meeting among the riders to discuss the MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix “was very positive”, but stopped short of revealing its outcome.

British publication The Race reported on Friday morning that a secret meeting was held on Thursday night at the Australian Grand Prix to discuss the ongoing uncertainty over the Qatar Grand Prix.

MotoGP is just two weeks out from travelling to Qatar, with the conflict in the region escalating again following attacks by Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia.

A vote was reportedly held between the riders who attended the meeting, with two-thirds said to have voted against the idea of racing in Qatar.

‘We didn’t tear each other apart’

Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi, who was fastest on Friday at the Australian Grand Prix, didn’t disclose any details about the meeting.

However, he noted that it was constructive.

“I think it’s impossible to get everyone to agree,” he told GPOne.

“But it was a very positive meeting, in my opinion, because we were all very mature about voicing our opinions without tearing each other apart.

“That’s what happens on the track. I can’t say anything [about the discussion].

“Though, honestly, I don’t know how much good it did. We did it more for ourselves, to talk it over among the riders.”

Secret meeting renews rider union hopes

This meeting has once again raised discussions about the riders forming a proper union.

The idea has been dismissed by MotoGP Group chief Carlos Ezpeleta, who says the championship has the best open-door policy for voicing concerns.

The riders came close in 2023, when a kind of association was briefly formed and headed by ex-racer Sylvain Guintoli.

KTM rider Enea Bastianini told Sky Italy that the riders now have “too little decision-making power” and that has to change because “they can’t exist without us”.

“I think it's important for us riders to be united, even in certain circumstances,” he said about the secret meeting.

“It’s a path we've already embarked on and that we're continuing, because I believe that right now the riders have too little decision-making power.

“Those with the most power are the organisers and the teams, but we need to have some too.

“Because, ultimately, we can't exist without them, but they can't exist without us.”

Pecco Bagnaia echoed these sentiments, but noted that whoever leads any future rider union should not be someone involved in racing currently.