in Moto 1 and Moto 2) is rumoured to maybe take
it on. But then there are rumours that he won’t as
he has a pretty good deal with the Yamaha works
side and switching to a satellite version may not be
competitively wise. All part of the colour and intrigue
which surrounds the landscape of the MotoGP.
And so then... to the question of equality. Of
course in terms of engines there never will be.
Nor will there be in outright brilliance in terms of
riding ability. There are always going to differences
and exceptions, as there are in the paypackets.
I came across a tale in a UK publication which,
it declared, was based on data collated from
“various sources”, as well as some estimations.
It was all about who gets paid what for riding a
MotoGP iron for a season. Many (including me)
figured Rossi would have been the highest paid
lad, and drawing $10 million a season is pretty
good. But nope, Marc Marquez is reportedly on
$11.5 million a year. Marquez’s team mate, veteran
Dani Pedrosa, is listed as drawing $3.3 million,
while Rossi’s Yamaha team-mate Maverick Vinales
has $5 million alongside his name on the list.
The Ducati boys appear well looked after,
Dovizioso has $7 million beside his name while
Lorenzo has $8 million. Mind you, another Ducati
lad further down the scale, Alvaro Bautista, is
listed as drawing just $450,000 a season.
Still not to be sniffed at however, although I wonder
what the leading loot lads were thinking when
they spotted the F1 “rich list”. Yep, Lewis Hamilton
is reportedly on an annual salary of $50 million
a season, while his Mercedes team-mate Valteri
Bottas is on $12 million. And despite coming 15th
on the points table Fernando Alonso is apparently
on $30 million... three times what Rossi gets.
However, it’s only half the $60 million Sebastian
Vettel gets, but, of course, this is all according to
the figures gathered from “various sources”.
But one thing’s for sure. At the end of the day
the four-wheeled chaps get way, way more
than the MotoGP chaps... despite the fact the
latter put on far more exciting adventures for
everyone to watch. Something must be done
and I’m more than prepared to stand up and
do something about it. All I need is $25 million
for research and consultation purposes.
Oh well, it was worth a try... back to Lotto.
KIWI RIDER 69