MARINI WITHDRAWS FROM QATAR MOTOGP RACE DUE TO ILLNESS

Luca Marini will miss Sunday’s MotoGP Grand Prix in Qatar after withdrawing because of ongoing exhaustion. The Honda rider had finished 13th in Saturday’s sprint, but he and Honda HRC Castrol decided that he should stop racing and focus on the final two rounds of the 2026 championship. The team said his “ongoing exhaustion” prompted the decision.

It is another interruption to Marini’s season. He also had to leave the Australian Grand Prix after Friday’s first practice session, having arrived at Phillip Island feeling unwell. MotoGP chief medical officer Dr Angel Charte diagnosed a viral infection. Marini returned in Malaysia and took seventh in the Grand Prix, but has now fallen ill again.

Honda’s other regular rider, Joan Mir, is also absent in Qatar. Mir had only recently returned in Malaysia after seven weeks away, having suffered vision problems and extreme fatigue. He retired from Sunday’s race at Sepang because of dizziness and was unable to travel to Qatar. British Superbike rider Jake Dixon is standing in for him.

With Marini out, Honda’s hopes in Doha rest on Dixon. Marini is another addition to the list of absentees after Ducati’s Pecco Bagnaia was ruled out through injury. Only 16 riders are expected on the Qatar Grand Prix starting grid.