By Riccardo Tafà| Posted February 12, 2019 | In Motor Racing, Sport Sponsorship, Sports Marketing
By Riccardo Tafà| Posted February 12, 2019 | In Motor Racing, Sport Sponsorship, Sports Marketing
Any corporate marketing and communication initiative is now universally recognized as closely linked to the world of digital and social media. For companies aiming to build an emotional connection with their audience, especially through sponsorship of teams or athletes, digital platforms are where the most significant opportunities and surprises emerge.
All sports stars are supported by vast followings, and platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube—among the most popular social media channels—allow athletes and teams to reach millions globally.
Advantages for Sponsors
MotoGP Teams and Riders: Social Media Reach (2025)
The MotoGP ecosystem has seen explosive growth in digital engagement, with the championship itself surpassing 50 million fans across all platforms in 2024, a 25% increase from the previous year. Instagram remains the fastest-growing channel, with over 1.5 million new followers in 2024 alone[1].
Below is an updated aggregate of the main MotoGP teams and their riders for the 2025 season, reflecting current line-ups and the latest available social media data:
| Team | Riders (2025) | Notable Rider Followers (Instagram) | Estimated Combined Social Reach |
| Ducati Lenovo | Francesco Bagnaia, Marc Márquez | Bagnaia: 1.4M, Márquez: 7.7M | ~10M+ |
| Yamaha Factory | Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins | Quartararo: 2.2M, Rins: 0.6M | ~3M+ |
| KTM Factory | Brad Binder, Pedro Acosta | Binder: 0.4M, Acosta: 0.3M | ~0.7M+ |
| Honda Factory | Luca Marini, Joan Mir | Marini: 0.6M, Mir: 0.5M | ~1.1M+ |
| Aprilia Racing | Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi | Martin: 0.7M, Bezzecchi: 0.5M | ~1.2M+ |
| Gresini Ducati | Álex Márquez, Fermín Aldeguer | Á. Márquez: 0.6M | ~0.6M+ |
| VR46 Ducati | Franco Morbidelli, Fabio Di Giannantonio | Morbidelli: 0.7M | ~0.7M+ |
Note: These numbers are approximate and reflect the most-followed platform (Instagram) as a proxy for total digital reach. Many riders have additional followers on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Comparison: Italian Newspapers Circulation (2025)
While MotoGP teams and riders collectively reach tens of millions on social media, the circulation of Italian newspapers continues to decline:
| Newspaper | Circulation (May 2025) |
| Corriere della Sera | 220,075 |
| La Repubblica | 136,826 |
| Il Sole 24 Ore | 118,301 |
| Avvenire | 100,031 |
| La Stampa | 73,205 |
| La Gazzetta dello Sport | 145,702 |
| Corriere dello Sport | 37,594 |
| Tuttosport | 18,383 |
Key Insights for Sponsors
Example
If a sponsor partners with Ducati (Bagnaia and Márquez), their combined digital reach on Instagram alone is over 9 million followers, nearly 65 times the daily circulation of Italy’s leading sports newspaper, La Gazzetta dello Sport
Conclusion
The dominance of social media in the sports sponsorship landscape is clear. By aligning with MotoGP teams and riders, brands can access vast, engaged audiences, often outpacing the reach of traditional media. This approach not only amplifies brand visibility but also fosters authentic, lasting connections with fans.
If you want to discuss how to maximize your sponsorship impact, contact us at info@rtrsports.com.
Experience the power and put your brand in front of millions with motorsport sponsorship. Whether it's Formula 1, MotoGP, NASCAR, IndyCar, or WEC, RTR Sports give your brand the opportunity to appear on television at the most prestigious race tracks in the world.
Sponsor a motorsport team today
Managing Director for RTR Sports, Riccardo graduated in law at the University of Bologna. He began his career in London in PR, then started working in two and four-wheelers. A brief move to Monaco followed before returning to Italy. There he founded RTR, first a consulting firm and then a sports marketing company which, eventually, he moved back to London.
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Read MoreIn an era where it is possible to get anywhere with a click, there is a strong temptation to approach teams and properties directly for sponsorship projects.
By doing so, we are convinced that we are shortening the value chain, saving time and money. However, these DYI methods are anything but risk-free and what initially appears to be a competitive advantage soon turns into a problem that is difficult to resolve. That’s why there are agencies. And this is why you should rely on us for your sponsorships.
When first approaching a motorsport sponsorship project, it is difficult to know immediately which stakeholders are correct, what the decision flow is, and what the right timelines are for each process. Motorsport is a very specialized field of action, and fitting effectively into its paths can take a lot of time and therefore money. We, on the other hand, know referents and spheres of action and know who to talk to, when and how. So you are also more effective.
Motorsport is an immense passion, and for our heart colors we would be willing to do anything. But business is a different business, and it is important to make the best possible strategic decisions based on independent research, statistics and reliable data. A motorsport sponsorship agency like RTR has an objective, 360-degree picture of the scenario and can tell you what is really best for you: which racing series, which athlete, which team. This is because we possess a great deal of data and information on ratings, segmentation and attitudes. Because the numbers don’t lie. Never.
Activations are the real heart of motorsport sponsorship. Without them, there remains only a blank sticker on a motorcycle, car or uniform and no contact with the public, no emotional connection, no impact on the bottom line. Then how do you do it? It certainly won’t be the teams or the athletes who will help you leverage sponsorship and enjoy the many marketing rights you have paid for. To bring out the best in a motorsport marketing project, you need an agency that knows how to use sponsorship to engage the fanbase online, to reach out to Shopping Centers, to organize hospitality, to develop B2B and B2C opportunities, and to get “your” athletes in front of millions of potential consumers.
Would you ever go to the dealer who sold you the car and ask if the competitor’s car is better? No, of course. So, how do you expect to get firm measurements of the effectiveness of your sponsorship if you do not rely on someone super partes? At RTR, we have always worked with independent third-party agencies that allow us to know the return on any exposure of your brand on TV and in the media. In addition, we believe in calculating ROI as the ultimate measure of your success-so we can tell you for every penny you spend how much you are making.
We have been involved in motorsport sponsorship and sports marketing for more than 15 years. We are consultants in the sense that our goal is to maximize your investment, but we are also an agency that manages the project from start to finish. We have been doing this since 1995 with passion and professionalism, following three principles that have become cornerstones of our business: independence, verticality and transparency.
I would like to highlight the fact that one of the qualities of RTR is its great ability to approach the sponsorship scenario strategically, together with its passionate attitude, its amazing enthusiasm for solving problems, and its high level of professionalism.
Gianluca Degliesposti
Executive Director Server&Storage EMEA
Eurosport is truly delighted with its business relationship with Riccardo Tafà, who has become extremely popular, thanks to his detailed knowledge of the sports marketing sector and his highly diligent attitude to work.
Francois Ribeiro
Commercial Director
Passion and Expertise are the features that I have found in RTR since the very beginning. Serious and reliable professionals but also very helpful, nice and open-mind people, willing to listen and compare different ideas. All the values in which RTR believes make this agency a partner, not just a supplier, a partner with whom we have had the opportunity to achieve significant commercial results in term of success and image.
Luca Pacitto
Head of Communication
We have been working with RTR Sports Marketing for over 10 years. The objectives and the programmes of collaboration continue to be renewed and to grow with mutual satisfaction. I believe RTR is a team of great professionals led by Riccardo Tafà, who I consider a manager of exceptional skills and with a great passion for his work.
Lucio Cecchinello
Team Principal
I have known and worked with Riccardo Tafà since 1995 when we collaborated for the first time on a project for the Williams Formula 1 team. Several clients followed. After leaving Williams to work for Gerhard Berger then owner of the Toro Rosso F1 Team, I turned again to Riccardo to seek his help in finding a tool supplier for the team and Riccardo duly obliged with an introduction to USAG, a partnership with Toro Rosso which endured for five years. I recently started a new role as Group Commercial Director for the renowned Andretti Autosport organisation and I find myself working with Riccardo once again on a number of interesting projects. Why has this relationship with Riccardo endured ? He’s smart, knows the commercial side of sport inside out and back to front and he’s honest and trustworthy. Riccardo Tafà is a “doer” not a “talker”: in over 20 years I have never had a dispute either with him or with a company that he has introduced and each partnership introduced by Riccardo has delivered quantifiable ROI to rights holder and sponsor alike. I can think of no better testimonial of Riccardo’s diligence, knowledge, contact base and hard work than that.
Jim Wright
Group Commercial Director
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