While last weekend\u2019s Malaysian Grand Prix saw Aprilia\u2019s Jorge Martin bravely try \u2013 and fail \u2013 to compete with a right wrist broken six days earlier in Australia, and saw Ducati\u2019s reigning world champion Marc Marquez snap an eight-year Sepang drought<\/a> to put one hand on the world championship trophy, most minds were 6000km away from Kuala Lumpur in Doha, site of this weekend\u2019s already-rescheduled 20th round of the world championship. <\/p>\n MORE MOTOGP NEWS<\/p>\n TALKING POINTS<\/a> Sepang winner\u2019s smooth run as Aussie, Yamaha to miss Qatar<\/p>\n RACE REPORT<\/a> Champ sets up match point with drought-breaking win<\/p>\n It\u2019s a round that, as Australia\u2019s Jack Miller put it on Sunday, \u201cnobody wants to go to\u201d<\/a> as the US\/Israel versus Iran military conflict that has affected the region for much of 2026 looks set to stir from a simmer to a boil again as this week\u2019s United States mid-term elections have been forecast as a catalyst for increased hostilities. <\/p>\n Miller, as it turns out, won\u2019t be going; on Sunday night, Yamaha announced that its two MotoGP teams, the factory outfit campaigning Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins, and its Pramac Racing team of Miller and Augusto Fernandez, substituting for injured regular Toprak Razgatlioglu, will boycott the event, a statement saying \u201cYamaha has not identified sufficient grounds to change its existing company-wide travel restrictions\u201d. <\/p>\n It was the latest significant news in a fortnight full of headlines ever since the sport\u2019s riders, in a rare show of unity, met at the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island to table their concerns about travelling to the region. <\/p>\n Marquez wins Malaysia MotoGP | 00:57<\/p>\n But, in reality, the suitability or not of Qatar to host a round of the world championship, one where the travelling international paddock runs close to 2000 people, has been bubbling away for some time. <\/p>\n For the next seven days, the sporting side of the world championship \u2013 Marquez, 44 points in the lead of the title chase with 111 available, could seal his eighth MotoGP title this weekend \u2013 will take a back seat. Getting into and \u2013 more pertinently \u2013 out of Qatar safely and completing the event is the only priority. <\/p>\n The next seven days will also provide plenty of answers; for now, five questions bear asking. <\/p>\n WHY IS MOTOGP RACING IN QATAR?<\/p>\n Most, if not all, decisions in top-line international sport have financial considerations at their core, and MotoGP is no exception.<\/p>\n The Lusail International Circuit outside of Doha has been a long-standing home for the world championship, first hosting MotoGP in 2004, and becoming the sport\u2019s first (and so far only) race held at night since 2008. It\u2019s a state-of-the-art facility that\u2019s unlike anywhere on the MotoGP calendar.<\/p>\n MORE MOTOGP NEWS<\/p>\n \u2018ISLAND WAS CRYING\u2019 <\/a> MotoGP winner\u2019s lament over loss, crunch Qatar meeting looms<\/p>\n EXPLAINER<\/a> Why Phillip Island finale didn\u2019t happen, and Adelaide\u2019s advantage for MotoGP\u2019s move<\/p>\n Qatar, the country, has become a crucial commercial partner to the series. This year, the national airline Qatar Airways has naming rights sponsorship for three rounds of the 22-round calendar, and extensive trackside sponsorship visibility at every round. With Doha used as a flight hub into and out of Europe, the series also depends on Qatar for its extensive freight requirements. <\/p>\n MotoGP hosting fees, the price paid by event promoters to hold a round of the series, are a closely-guarded secret, but Qatar is widely reported to pay a steeper price than any other location, and has contract that extends to the 2031 season. Put simply, it\u2019s a financial investment that\u2019s significant for the series. <\/p>\n Qatar has insisted that the country can safely host the world championship\u2019s annual visit in 2026; last week, MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (MSEG) deputy CEO Carlos Ezpeleta visited Lusail to hear from event organisers and see the extent of the preparations first-hand. <\/p>\n Put simply, MotoGP would take a hit financially if it was to cancel the Qatar round if Qatar says it can host the series as usual. If a situation arose where Qatar couldn\u2019t host MotoGP and had to withdraw, they would still be on the hook for the agreed hosting fee. <\/p>\n From a broadcast perspective, it\u2019s instructive to note that an additional race would not need to be added to the schedule if Qatar didn\u2019t go ahead, a 21-round season enough to satisfy MotoGP\u2019s contracts with its broadcast partners.<\/p>\n Jack Miller erupts at pit crew | 00:45<\/p>\n WHAT ARE THE DANGERS?<\/p>\n The likely escalation of the military conflict in the region this week \u2013 which has been widely reported as countries adjust their travel advice to the region to broadly discourage all non-essential travel \u2013 creates a volatile situation that could place MotoGP in a bind. <\/p>\n Earlier in the year, when MotoGP postponed Qatar from its scheduled April date to November<\/a>, airspace in the region was intermittently shut down, impacting the travel plans of people in or travelling through such Middle East hubs as Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. <\/p>\n With MotoGP\u2019s freight travelling directly from Kuala Lumpur to Doha, getting into Lusail and set up to race is largely a given, considering the US mid-term elections are mid-week; what happens if military activity escalates and airspace is closed with a paddock full of freight and 2000 people, and the final two rounds of the season set for Portugal (November 20-22) and Valencia (November 27-29), is the more pressing concern. <\/p>\n A traditional wheelie from Jack Miller | 00:53<\/p>\n In his post-Malaysia press debrief, Miller intimated that the visibility of the event could make MotoGP a target for disruption, too. <\/p>\n \u201cI understand their [position] as the promoter and I love Qatar, but the surrounding area is the issue that we have,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cTo go and put on a global event, we\u2019re not hiding. We\u2019re not hiding our location or date and time we will be at said location. If anyone does want to make an example or do whatever they do \u2026\u201d. <\/p>\n WHAT HAPPENS TO YAMAHA AFTER IT PULLED OUT?<\/p>\n Yamaha breaking ranks with MotoGP\u2019s other four manufacturers \u2013 Aprilia, Ducati, KTM and Honda \u2013 was always a possibility after Yamaha\u2019s Rins, in his pre-Malaysia press briefing, said \u201cright now Yamaha, I think, is one of the unique ones that they don\u2019t know if they will go to Qatar\u201d on Thursday at Sepang. <\/p>\n Hours after last Sunday\u2019s Malaysian Grand Prix won by Marquez, Yamaha issued a statement that, in part, read: \u201cYamaha has informed MotoGP Group about its decision not to participate in the 2026 Qatar Grand Prix. This decision reflects Yamaha\u2019s assessment of the information currently available and is independent of the measures implemented by MotoGP Group and the event organiser. Yamaha remains fully committed to MotoGP and looks forward to returning to competition at the Portuguese Grand Prix.\u201d<\/p>\n Yamaha Racing managing director Paolo Pavesio; the Japanese manufacturer has pulled out of Qatar this weekend. (Photo by Mirco Lazzari gp\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n All five manufacturers have contracts with the series outlining their participation and commitments; in response, a MotoGP statement said it was \u201cdisappointed by Yamaha\u2019s decision\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cFollowing consultation with the State of Qatar, Lusail International Circuit, independent safety advisers and MotoGP\u2019s own ongoing risk assessment process, MotoGP has not received any information that would warrant a change to the current plans for the event,\u201d the statement continued. <\/p>\n \u201cWe communicated that position, together with the latest available information, to all Manufacturers and Teams [on Sunday] and welcome the confirmation from the remainder of the grid that they will compete in Qatar, and we thank them for that commitment.<\/p>\n \u201cIn addition to the contractual implications of Yamaha\u2019s decision for its agreements with MotoGP and IRTA, Yamaha\u2019s non-participation also carries sporting implications, with any sporting consequences to be managed by the FIM in accordance with the Championship regulations.\u201d <\/p>\n What sporting punishments could be levied towards Yamaha \u2013 removal of championship points or being barred from remaining events in 2026 were two options being discussed in the Sepang paddock on Sunday \u2013 remain to be seen. <\/p>\n On track, Yamaha has been MotoGP\u2019s straggler this season, sitting last in the constructors\u2019 championship, occupying the last two places in MotoGP\u2019s 11-strong teams\u2019 championship, and having no rider higher than 14th (Quartararo) in the rider\u2019s standings. It\u2019s harsh to say Yamaha won\u2019t be missed on track at Lusail, but only partly. <\/p>\n Interestingly, the Yamaha-funded Blu Cru Pramac Yamaha Moto2 team \u2013 which features Miller\u2019s 2027 MotoGP replacement, Spaniard Izan Guevara \u2013 is committed to racing in Qatar this weekend; Guevera, unlike any of Yamaha\u2019s four MotoGP riders, is in title contention this season, sitting 3.5 points adrift of compatriot Manu Gonzalez in second place in the intermediate-class standings. <\/p>\n WHAT DO THE RIDERS THINK?<\/p>\n After the MotoGP grid\u2019s riders met in Australia, Autosport reported they, as a collective, presented a document to MSEG outlining five conditions for their attendance in Qatar, primarily seeking an evacuation plan and insurance coverage. <\/p>\n Subsequent meetings in Malaysia saw a document sent to MSEG and the teams seeking written confirmation by Sunday afternoon taking responsibility for any eventuality in Qatar, per Autosport. The teams then met with MSEG executives on Sunday morning in Sepang. <\/p>\n A MotoGP statement said, in part: \u201cMotoGP management met with the Teams to review the latest information and assurances provided by the State of Qatar, Lusail International Circuit, relevant embassies and independent experts. These internal and external assessments continue to inform our ongoing risk review and decision-making process.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue to monitor developments closely and remain in regular contact with all relevant authorities and stakeholders. Decisions of this nature must be based on the most current facts, advice from official sources and informed assessment available at the time they are made. Should that assessment change, we will act accordingly.\u201d <\/p>\n After Sunday\u2019s race, podium finishers Marc Marquez, Pedro Acosta and Alex Marquez flatly refused to engage with a question about Qatar in the post-event press conference. Quartararo\u2019s response \u2013 \u201cI\u2019m not speaking about Qatar, I don\u2019t want to get in trouble \u2013 sometimes I want to talk too much\u201d \u2013 in his own press debrief summed up the prevailing mood. <\/p>\n The typically unfiltered Miller \u2013 who will leave MotoGP at the end of the season \u2013 was more expansive and, before Yamaha\u2019s statement was released later on Sunday, indicated his next stop was Townsville, not Doha. <\/p>\n Miller made his views clear on Sunday in Malaysia. (Photo by Mirco Lazzari gp\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to go, like everybody,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s 19 of us that don\u2019t want to go there, I don\u2019t think we should be racing a motorcycle in those sorts of conditions. We\u2019ve made our opinion very clear on that, and we\u2019ll see what the decision is. As riders, we\u2019ve united and done the best we can what with ammunition we have, not only for us as riders but also for other people in the championship. If you speak to 50 per cent of the paddock, nobody wants to go. <\/p>\n \u201cThe biggest thing for us as riders is liability. Somebody\u2019s got to be liable for it. If you [MSEG] want us to go there, put your name on it if you believe it\u2019s safe. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s unreasonable to ask that. They can attack us at any angle, financially, on the sporting side with our licences and so on, and also to the teams. We\u2019ve been pretty quiet about it until now, but the fact of the matter is when we\u2019re being asked what we\u2019re doing, it\u2019s not up to us at the end of the day. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a number in this game, and there\u2019s 19-20 of us that are pretty adamant we don\u2019t want to go.\u201d <\/p>\n As it happens, Miller and his three Yamaha stablemates won\u2019t be the only riders missing in Qatar next weekend. <\/p>\n![\"Qatar](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/457db2f23717e6780f2d91352c8f9d08.jpeg\")
Qatar has presence at every MotoGP round, not just Lusail since 2004. (Photo by Mirco Lazzari gp\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n