MotoGP riders have reacted positively to news that an agreement has been reached for the championship to join Formula 1 in coming under new ownership from American media powerhouse, Liberty Media.

Last week, Liberty Media agreed a $4bn deal to take a plus-80% stake in Dorna Sports, incumbent commercial rights for a number of high-profile motorcycle racing series’, including MotoGP and WorldSBK.

While the deal - which is still subject to scrutiny from the EU competition regulators - is unlikely to be finalised until much later in the year, Dorna Sports is optimistic Liberty Media's proven track record will help MotoGP emulate the growth in audience and profit it has achieved with F1 since taking ownership of the sport in 2017.

It’s a development that has gone down well with MotoGP riders, who see it as an opportunity for the series to grow its fan-base and promote the sport’s brand to a wider audience.

Pecco Bagnaia - “I think it is already a really great show, but it can be more popular. What makes it different is that F1 is cars, and car manufacturers are bigger than bike manufacturers. But I think Liberty Media have great ideas to improve the situation. F1 is at its peak, so I think it is a great opportunity for MotoGP.

Marc Marquez - “I’m happy with the news because what they did with F1 was big. They need to attract the younger generations and create big names, like in the past with Rossi, Lorenzo, Pedrosa and Stoner. This will be a matter of investing in MotoGP and the show.”

Jorge Martin - “It’s really good news for MotoGP. For us, the riders, it would be great for the sport to be bigger.”

Brad Binder - “If you see the level of F1 it is huge, they’ve done an amazing job in that sense and I’m sure it will be really good for MotoGP.”