MotoGP chief gives update on Yamaha penalty for missing Qatar

MotoGP chief Carlos Ezpeleta has provided an update on what will happen next with Yamaha, after the Japanese brand broke contract and skipped the Qatar Grand Prix.

Yamaha sensationally withdrew from last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix over the company’s internal travel policy regarding the Middle East, amid uncertainty over the Iran war.

It meant the MotoGP grid was reduced to 18 starters for the weekend, with that number dropping to 16 because of injuries. No Yamaha rider was present.

The event went off without any problems, though a security alert was issued to American citizens in Qatar on Friday, while strikes did take place in Iran and Saudi Arabia during MotoGP’s time at Lusail.

“Our relationship is purely commercial”

MotoGP threatened teams and riders with sanctions for not racing in Qatar, after 19 of the 22 competitors on the grid signed a letter stating they did not want to race.

Yamaha, who is contracted to MotoGP Group, is set to face punishment for its decision, though it’s not clear what this will be.

MotoGP Group’s relationship with Yamaha is commercial, so any sporting sanction - with race bans threatened - handled by the FIM.

The FIM has remained silent through this entire episode and has not said what penalties, if any, can be applied to Yamaha.

Commenting on the matter, Ezpeleta told Motorsport: “It's a commercial contract that we can't discuss publicly.

“We'll talk to Yamaha, and from there, if anything is decided, it will be communicated.

“But, as of today, our relationship with them is purely commercial, and, as we always say, we neither want to be involved nor are we in the sporting aspect.

“That's a matter for the FIM.”

“We have exposed ourselves unnecessarily”

The standoff between the MotoGP riders and the championship over Qatar generated intense media interest.

And it also represented the closest riders have been to forming an official union.

Ezpeleta, however, believes “the noise created around the event” has been unnecessary and suggests this will have to be corrected. He stops short of stating what that would entail.

“The riders have always been the stars of MotoGP, and they will continue to and will continue to be.

“We conduct self-evaluations on everything; there are things we will have to improve, things the teams will have to improve, and others that the riders will have to improve.

“It's clear that, due to the noise created around the event, we have exposed ourselves unnecessarily. And that's what we have to correct.”