MotoGP wants to introduce minimum salary for riders from 2027

The MotoGP world championship is in the final stages of implementing a protocol that will introduce a minimum salary of €500,000 a year for riders competing in the premier class, Motorsport understands.

This measure has been widely discussed in recent years, amid disparity in rider earnings. While leading stars such as Marc Marquez and Fabio Quartararo have secured base salaries exceeding €10million, other contracts feature figures closer to those seen in lower classes, at times under €120,000. That gap is expected to narrow once the €500,000 minimum salary is formally approved.

MotoGP Sports Entertainment, formerly known as Dorna, and the teams have been debating the proposal for some time. The €500,000 will not include performance-related bonuses.

Motorsport understands the proposal is in its final phase prior to ratification. The clause appears in the draft contract set to regulate the relationship between the championship’s commercial rights holder and its participants.

The Motorcycle Sports Manufacturers Association is set to discuss this provision in a meeting on Tuesday in Buriram – where the season gets under way this weekend – along with other clauses included in the five-year agreement that will define the commercial framework from 2027 to 2031.

The push for a minimum salary in MotoGP is nothing new. It dates back to discussions among riders about forming an association to defend their interests in situations where their position might differ from the championship organisers’. Meetings were held, with French rider Sylvain Guintoli proposed as a potential spokesperson for the group. However, uncertainty over the funding required to pay the former rider in his new role ultimately led to the initiative being shelved.