
The salary hit MotoGP riders face in 2022
Rider salaries in the premier class have dropped significantly in the last four years, mainly due to the effects of the pandemic. But it has also changed due to a shift in the contractual model used by manufacturers, which is set to have a significant impact on the balance of power in 2022
In 2018, MotoGP teams paid more than 58 million euros to the 24 riders who took part in the championship during the season, a figure that in 2022 will be reduced to just over 47 million - a reduction of almost 20%.
The main reason why the riders' salaries have dropped by almost 11.5 million euros over the last three years was none other than the COVID-19 pandemic, which in 2020 hit the coffers of all the players involved in the championship extremely hard. Manufacturers stopped their factories and closed their dealerships; motorbike sales plummeted, and the delay in the start of the world championship until mid-July pushed promoters and teams to the limit as a result of the lack of exposure.
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