Yamaha won't race in Qatar MotoGP in serious escalation of standoff with organisers
Next weekend’s Qatar MotoGP has been thrown into doubt after Yamaha announced that they will not be attending the event.
Yamaha has announced that it will not attend next weekend's planned Qatar MotoGP round due to 'existing company-wide travel restrictions'.
That means Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins, Jack Miller and Augusto Fernandez will not be taking part, while Gresini Ducati's Alex Marquez has already announced he will miss the event due to surgery. (Corrected: Injured Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez will be in Qatar).
The question now is whether Yamaha's move triggers similar decisions from some of the other manufacturers, including fellow Japanese brand Honda.
Alex Rins revealed Yamaha had doubts over attending Qatar earlier in the Malaysian weekend. The latest advice from the Japanese government is to 'refrain from non-essential travel' to Qatar.
UPDATE: MotoGP has issued its own statement in response to Yamaha's Qatar decision
MotoGP riders have held multiple meetings in recent weeks to air their own concerns over the Qatar round, with Jack Miller then spelling out the extent of opposition to the event on Sunday evening in Sepang (see below).
Yamaha statement on Qatar:
'Following its latest assessment of the situation in the Middle East, Yamaha has not identified sufficient grounds to change its existing company-wide travel restrictions.
'As a result, Yamaha has informed MotoGP Group about its decision not to participate in the 2026 Qatar Grand Prix.
'This decision reflects Yamaha’s assessment of the information currently available and is independent of the measures implemented by MotoGP Group and the event organizer.
'Yamaha remains fully committed to MotoGP and looks forward to returning to competition at the Portuguese Grand Prix.'
Jack Miller rages at MotoGP over Qatar race and issues bleak warning
Speaking before Yamaha's statement, Jack Miller raged at MotoGP for pushing ahead with the Qatar Grand Prix, while warning the championship has done nothing to hide its presence “if anyone does want to make an example”.
The conflict in the Middle East between Iran and the US is threatening to escalate in the coming days. Many governments have advised against travel to Qatar, but MotoGP is adamant it can safely stage the race at Lusail on 6-8 November.
The riders have been pressing hard for the past week to get the race cancelled, though the championship is now increasing its threats against them if they do stage any kind of protest.
19 riders out of 22 don’t want to race in Qatar
Multiple media outlets have reported on Sunday morning that a signed letter from the majority of riders was sent to MotoGP Group in a final play to have the Qatar Grand Prix axed.
This comes a day after Motorsport reported that the MotoGP Group is threatening financial and sporting penalties to any rider who misses Qatar, with race bans on the table.
How enforceable these new penalties are remains a point of debate, as the governing body, the FIM, has made no comment so far.
Pramac Yamaha’s Miller says 19 riders agree that Qatar shouldn’t go ahead.
“I don’t want to go,” the Australian fumed on Sunday at the Malaysian Grand Prix.
“There are 19 of us who don’t want to go there. I don’t think we should be racing like that. We’ve made our opinion very clear on that.
“We’ll see what the decision is. As riders, we’ve united and done the best we can, and threatened the best we can with what ammunition we have.
“Not only for us as riders, but also other people in the championship. You speak to 50% of the paddock, nobody wants to go. I don’t understand why we need to.”
The crux of the matter is financial. The Qatar Grand Prix is the most important round of the year for MotoGP in terms of the impact it has on the championship’s bank balance.
Without the government banning travel to Qatar, or the race organisers cancelling the event, MotoGP cannot call the race off without taking a big financial hit.
As well as this, talks of a riders’ union being formed would only be strengthened if the championship bows to the 19’s demands to cancel the race.
Miller flags safety warning
The 19 riders, and much of the paddock, are wary of an escalation in the conflict leading to immediate danger.
But they may also find themselves trapped in Doha if the airspace in the region is closed, which would in turn jeopardise the final two rounds of the campaign.
Most global events have steered clear of the Middle East this year.
MotoGP would be the first major sporting event to be held in the region for some time, ahead of Formula 1’s arrival at the end of November.
But Miller has pointed out that MotoGP has made no secret of its location and the timings it will be there should Iran or its proxy forces in the region decide to launch an attack.
“We’re not hiding the fact that we ride at 10:55,” Miller added.
“We are not hiding our location or the time of day we will be at said location. If anyone does want to make an example, do whatever they [want to] do…”
The riders have reportedly been assured of an evacuation plan should the situation deteriorate, though it’s not clear what this looks like.
What about Guevara's Moto2 title challenge?
While Yamaha isn't a contender for any of the MotoGP titles, its Pramac Yamaha Moto2 rider Izan Guevara is currently locked in a world championship duel with Manuel Gonzalez for the intermediate class crown.
The Yamaha statement made no mention of its Moto2 team, while the Triumph-powered Boscoscuro chassis doesn't require the presence of Yamaha technicians, so it appears that the Moto2 squad will be free to decide if they attend Qatar.
Guevara has closed to within 3.5 points of Gonzalez after Sunday's Sepang race.
Qatar is due to be the first of three remaining rounds, followed by Portimao and Valencia.
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
