QATAR GP SET TO GO AHEAD AS YAMAHA BOYCOTTS LUSAIL

MotoGP plans to stage the Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail from November 6–8, despite continuing uncertainty in the Middle East and Yamaha’s decision to boycott the event. The race was originally scheduled for April but was moved to round 20 of the 22-round season. Portugal and Valencia have also been pushed back by a week. Yamaha says its factory team and satellite squad Pramac will not take part; the championship has warned that riders who skip Qatar could be barred from the final two rounds. The FIM has not publicly clarified the situation or any possible sporting sanctions for those who miss the race.

Aprilia CEO Massimo Rivola has backed going ahead if organisers judge the event safe, criticising the debate around the race. Speaking to AS at Phillip Island, he said: “If the organizer says it's safe, you have to go, there's not so much discussion.” He added: “Honestly, I don't understand all this mess that's going on.” Rivola said he wanted to attend and argued that if organisers had reviewed all the information and documentation and said to proceed, “then let's go and that's it.”

The boycott removes Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins, Jack Miller and Augusto Fernandez from the expected field. Several other entries remain uncertain because of injuries. Alex Marquez will miss the race after shoulder surgery, while Aprilia’s Jorge Martin is hoping to return after fracturing his right wrist in Australia and withdrawing from the Malaysian GP. Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez plans to travel to Qatar and try to race despite two fractured fingers. Honda is assessing Joan Mir, who left the Malaysian round after feeling dizzy and has ongoing fatigue problems. Fermin Aldeguer’s participation is also in doubt, while Gresini stand-in Iker Lecuona could be the team’s only rider. The grid could be severely depleted, depending on who is fit and available. MotoGP News’ experts expect no other team to join Yamaha’s withdrawal, citing the threat of penalties, though they acknowledge circumstances could change.

The title fight could reach its conclusion in Qatar. Ducati’s Marc Marquez arrives with a 44-point advantage over Martin and a 67-point lead over Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi. With no more than 64 points available across the final two rounds, Marquez needs to leave Lusail at least 65 points clear to secure the championship. To do so this weekend, he must outscore Martin by 18 points and lose no more than two points to Bezzecchi. A title would be Marquez’s eighth in the premier class and 10th across the three world championship categories. Bezzecchi and Martin remain mathematically in contention, although Bezzecchi is more than 60 points behind and Martin is managing his broken wrist.

An Aprilia insider says the team once believed it had effectively removed Marquez from the title equation. Bezzecchi opened the season with three wins and then finished second twice, while Marquez was hampered by a shoulder problem and missed Le Mans and Barcelona for further surgery. After Mugello, Bezzecchi had built a 102-point advantage over Marquez. “They thought, after Bezzecchi won the first three Grand Prix with enormous ease and authority and finished second in the next two, that they were going to win the title without facing Marc,” a person close to Martin told El Periodico. “Since they won so easily at the start of the World Championship, they believed they had eliminated Marc from the equation.”

Marquez has since won seven Grands Prix, while Aprilia’s next victory came when Bezzecchi won at Mugello. The Ducati rider is now in better physical condition, though his surgeon has described him as still riding with “one and a half arms.” Since Mugello, Martin and Bezzecchi have failed to score on 12 occasions between them; Marquez has finished every race. Even if Martin competes in Qatar, the source says there is little sign he can challenge for victory.

Marquez is the experts’ leading pick for both the Sprint and Grand Prix, with several predicting he will clinch the title in Qatar. Their forecasts differ on who will challenge him: Pedro Acosta and Bezzecchi feature prominently, while Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura is tipped by multiple writers for a podium in either race. One expert expects Bezzecchi and Ogura to finish first and second in Sunday’s GP, with Marquez third, arguing Aprilia could be stronger over the longer distance. Bezzecchi is also among the pole-position favourites, alongside Marquez; Johann Zarco was named as a possible contender for the top three in qualifying.

The Qatar weekend is scheduled to begin on Friday, November 6, with the 11-lap Sprint on Saturday and the 22-lap Grand Prix on Sunday. UK viewers can watch live coverage on TNT Sports, which will broadcast from the UK rather than send its team to Qatar. Quest is due to show a free-to-air Sprint replay, and MotoGP and TNT Sports will publish highlights online.

Forecasts point to dry, stable conditions. Temperatures are expected to reach about 34°C during daytime sessions, easing to around 31°C for evening practice and the Sprint. Sunday’s race is also forecast to take place in temperatures near 34°C.

Marquez won the most recent Qatar GP, in 2025, after taking pole and the Sprint victory. That weekend was overshadowed by Martin’s severe crash injuries: he suffered a hemopneumothorax after falling and being struck by Fabio Di Giannantonio, who could not avoid him. Martin’s 2025 season was already disrupted by injuries, and he later missed seven rounds after breaking 11 ribs and sustaining a serious chest injury in Qatar.