MARINI WITHDRAWS FROM QATAR MOTOGP AFTER WARM-UP
8 Nov 2026·
Luca Marini has withdrawn from the Qatar MotoGP after morning warm-up, leaving a reduced field of 16 riders for the Grand Prix.
Honda HRC said the decision was made because Marini was still suffering from fatigue. The team said it and the Italian had chosen to pull out so he could focus on the final two rounds of the 2026 championship. Marini had qualified 14th and finished 13th in Saturday’s Sprint. He had struggled with fatigue throughout the weekend and did not speak to the media after the Sprint. Two weeks earlier, he had withdrawn from the Australian GP weekend with a virus.
His absence adds to a difficult weekend for Honda: team-mate Joan Mir is also missing, sidelined by fatigue-related vision problems. Marini joins Pecco Bagnaia, who was injured in the Sprint, among the riders unable to take part in the race.
The grid is further depleted by Yamaha’s absence from the Qatar event. The manufacturer is not competing this weekend because of company-wide travel restrictions affecting the Middle East.