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 is none other than the COVID-19 pandemic, which in 2020 hit the coffers of all those 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.