Fabio Quartararo's Yamaha team boycotts the Qatar GP due to "the situation in the Middle East", MotoGP threatens it with "sporting consequences"

Yamaha will not be there. The Japanese team has decided to give up traveling to Qatar next week for the 20th Grand Prix of the season due to "the (security) situation in the Middle East", the Japanese team announced on Sunday. “Following its latest assessment of the situation in the Middle East, Yamaha has not identified sufficient reasons to change the current group-wide travel restrictions in place. Consequently, Yamaha has informed the MotoGP company of its decision not to participate in the 2026 Qatar Grand Prix,” explains the team in a press release.

The Japanese manufacturer, whose two drivers in the official team this season are the Frenchman Fabio Quartararo, world champion in 2021, and the Spaniard Alex Rins, assures that its decision is “independent of the measures taken by the MotoGP company and the race organizers”. Yamaha says it “remains fully committed to MotoGP” and “looks forward to returning to competition at the Portuguese Grand Prix” (November 20-22).

MotoGP threatens sanctions

In a press release, the MotoGP organization immediately declared itself "disappointed by Yamaha's decision" while "understanding that the team is subject to the company's more general policy of restricting travel to the Middle East", a region disrupted by conflicts between, on the one hand the United States and Israel and, on the other hand, Iran, with a security impact on the Gulf countries. The war has intensified between Houthi fighters who control part of Yemen and Saudi Arabia, including bombings on Riyadh.

“We do not think that this decision (by Yamaha which also concerns the private Pramac team) reflects the extended guarantees offered to all stakeholders in the championship” of MotoGP, argued the organization while the financial stakes of a cancellation amount to tens of millions of dollars. "In addition to the contractual implications of Yamaha's decision, its non-participation will have sporting implications and consequences which will be managed by the FIM", the International Motorcycling Federation, warned MotoGP without being more precise. Yamaha and its riders could lose points in the general classifications or be sanctioned on the starting grid for future races.

“There are 19 of us pilots out of 22 who do not want to go there”

Officially and despite the insecurity linked to the continuation of the war in the region, with renewed threats from American President Donald Trump and Tehran, the 20th round out of 22 remains scheduled for November 6 to 8. All weekend in Malaysia, and last week in Australia, paddock riders met with organizers and motorcycling regulators to express their reluctance to travel to Qatar.

The Australian Jack Miller, driver of the Yamaha-Pramac team, spoke to the press on Sunday at Sepang. “I don’t want to go there. Like everyone else. There are 19 of us (out of 22) who don’t want to go there,” he said. “I don't think we should race in these conditions. We have been very clear on our position. We will see what decision is made,” said Miller just before Yamaha's press release.