Dorna Sports’ Carlos Ezpeleta insists there is every intention to return to India in the near future despite its omission from the 2025 MotoGP calendar.
The commercial rights’ holders formally revealed a record 22-round schedule for next season ahead of this weekend’s Indonesian Grand Prix, with highlights including a return to Brno, an all-new event in Hungary and a fresh opening round host in Thailand.
Absent from the final published programme, however, is India after the decision was taken to defer the event held at the Buddh International Circuit to 2026.
It comes after this year’s Indian Grand Prix - which only held its inaugural MotoGP event in 2023 - was shelved due to ‘operational considerations’.
Though Dorna had resolved to keep India on the schedule for 2025, Dorna Sports chief sporting officer Ezpeleta says a concern over finding a promoter and upgrading the venue within good time forced it to postpone its return to 2026 instead.
“India is a hugely important market for MotoGP and for the motorcycle industry. We have an agreement with the region of Uttar Pradesh, but unfortunately with the deadlines to publish the calendar it wasn’t possible for us to meet all of those deadlines in terms of selecting a promoter and getting the upgrades to the circuit done,” Ezpeleta said.
“So we agreed it was the best way forward to have a year and a half to prepare for the event. We continue to think there is tremendous potential but we have agreed the best way forward is to postpone it.”
The publication of the 2025 MotoGP calendar marks the third successive year Dorna has revealed plans to traverse a 22-round global schedule.
While a handful of event cancellations - including three in 2024 alone - have thus far thwarted attempts to hit this record target, Ezpeleta remains confident there will be no schedule shake-ups next year despite some events being listed as subject to confirmation.
Among them is Brno, which is set to hold its first MotoGP event since 2020 provided it completes necessary resurfacing and circuit upgrades before its July date.
“It hasn’t been resurfaced yet, it is part of our conditions to return,” Ezpeleta confirmed. “There are other things they have to improve but they have all been agreed, so we are all looking forward to it.
“It’s a traditional event for MotoGP, one that has attracted so many fans for decades, so both the government of Czechia and MotoGP are thrilled to have it back.”
‘Significant changes’ needed for Balaton debut
The only all-new circuit on the 2025 MotoGP schedule, the inaugural visit to Balaton Park, is set to mark the belated fulfilment of an agreement between Dorna and the Hungarian government stretching back some 15 years.
Indeed, MotoGP had originally planned a return to Hungary back in 2009 around a new venue constructed on the shores of Lake Balaton, only for the project to lay dormant for several years with no construction having begun.
However, a revival of the scheme has since led to the venue’s completion in readiness for 2025. While the ominous warning of a planned World Superbike round this year being cancelled and the admission ‘significant changes’ are needed for it to be ready, Ezpeleta remains resolute about its candidacy.
“We have had an agreement with the Hungarian government for some years now but because of the pandemic there have been delays on some projects. However, we are pleased to announce we will be racing at Balaton Park,” he added.
“The circuit is quite recently built and it will need to go through some significant changes for MotoGP but we should soon be ready to show to fans what it will be like.
“It’s a typical layout, it has a lot of fast sections that need modifying, with some slow, technical sections the riders should enjoy.”
In addition to Brno and Balaton Park, Argentina will resume its position in the schedule after political ructions forced this year’s Termas de Rio Hondo round to be cancelled, while Portimao - which shifts to a penultimate round slot - is expected to meet upgrade criteria to assure its future.
Notably, however, there is no mention of a third attempt at visiting the Sokol International Racetrack after plans for the inaugural Kazakhstan Grand Prix fell through in both 2023 and 2024.
