MOTOGP RIDERS SEEK SAFETY ASSURANCES FOR QATAR GRAND PRIX

MotoGP riders met championship executives at Phillip Island on Saturday to seek assurances before agreeing to travel to Qatar for the Grand Prix, scheduled for 6-8 November. The Losail race was originally set for April but was postponed because of the conflict involving the US and Iran. Its rescheduling created the season’s only triple-header.

The riders’ concerns have grown as tensions in the Gulf region have risen, including Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and threats of renewed US bombing of Iran. A report said two-thirds of riders at a meeting on Thursday voted against going to the region. They later raised their concerns with MotoGP Group chief Carlos Ezpeleta, seeking assurances in case the situation worsens while they are in Qatar.

Their requests include an evacuation plan for everyone in the paddock and coverage of hotel costs if airspace closures leave people unable to depart Doha. It remains unclear whether all the demands have been accepted. VR46 team boss Uccio Salucci said the championship had provided some guarantees, adding: “What if some riders might not show up? Those are personal decisions, but then the organiser takes it out on us teams. My guys will be there anyway.”

MotoGP maintains that the race will go ahead, and Lusail circuit officials have said preparations are in their final stages. The paddock is due to travel from Phillip Island to Malaysia next weekend before heading to Qatar. If the event cannot proceed, organisers have little time to announce a change and adjust freight arrangements.

A further escalation could close airspace around the Gulf, as happened earlier this year. That would threaten not only the Qatar round but potentially the championship’s closing Portugal and Valencia double-header at the end of November.