MotoGP is finally getting its shot at the big screen, something fans have been quietly (and not-so-quietly) hoping for as Formula 1 hogged the cultural spotlight for the last few years. And yes, I'm excited. But I'm also cautious. Because while MotoGP deserves a cinematic universe of its own, the track record for motorsport media outside F1 is a mixed bag. I won't bother to bring up a certain docuseries that let me down a few years back.
Idols: The Last Lap, arriving March 2026 (at least according to rumors), isn’t a documentary. It’s a full-blown fictional drama following a young rider clawing his way toward MotoGP with the help of a coach he definitely doesn’t want and a love interest he definitely will.
The ingredients are classic: prodigy with a chip on his shoulder, a strained father-son dynamic, romance, rivalry, redemption. Basically a hero’s journey in leathers. It may not reinvent the genre, but it might finally give MotoGP the on-screen visibility it deserves.
Still, I’m skeptical.
MotoGP’s real drama is so intense, so feral, so physics-defying that Hollywood often struggles to replicate it. And after the few attempts and failures of MotoGP mainstream content, I’m bracing myself. If this movie is going to pull in the masses the way F1’s Netflix era did, it has to capture the emotional violence of the sport—the speed, the precision, the stakes—not just the interpersonal soap opera.
The film clearly had unprecedented access to the MotoGP world, and for good reason: this is an officially sanctioned Dorna project, not just a rogue indie film sneaking cameras into the paddock. The teaser shows real circuits, real paddock environments, and what appears to be genuine racing woven into the narrative. What is certain is that the production worked closely with the CFMoto Moto2 team, shooting on their private track and using their racing program as the fictional backbone for the protagonist’s team. An intriguing choice that could lend authenticity or tilt the whole thing toward a beautifully executed brand piece.
And speaking of CFMoto, this is a clever play for them. They get prime placement in a global feature film precisely as they’re cementing themselves as a rising force in Moto2 and expanding in Western markets. But whether this becomes a tasteful integration or a two-hour corporate flex remains to be seen. For now, I’m choosing optimism. A little brand presence never killed a story…unless it turns into a glorified commercial. You’ll have to watch and decide where this one lands.
But let's talk bigger picture. MotoGP has lived in F1’s cinematic shadow for too long, despite arguably offering better racing, higher stakes, and athletes who straddle the line between genius and madness every lap. If Idols: The Last Lap can capture even a fraction of the sport’s electricity, maybe (maybe) it can be the first snowball rolling toward a wider cultural moment for the championship. Something more accessible than a doc, something more emotional than a highlight reel, something more human than another behind-the-scenes episode.
Will this movie turn MotoGP into a mainstream obsession? Hard to say. But it might at least get non-riders to understand why we watch these maniacs throw 220-horsepower missiles into corners with nothing but leather and superstition protecting them.
So yes, I’m hopeful. Cautiously hopeful. And I’ll be in the theater on opening weekend—ready to cringe, cheer, judge the riding realism, and see whether this movie finally gives MotoGP the cinematic respect it deserves. Until then, the teaser is out, the speculation is loud, and March (ish) 2026 is closer than it feels. Whether Idols becomes a cult favorite or a cautionary tale, one thing is certain: it’s about damn time MotoGP took its swing at the big screen.
