MotoGP's Stance On Qatar Is Borderline Insanity, Especially Its Threats Toward Yamaha
Of course, money is involved. When isn't it? But this is an extreme example.
There's more than one way to voice your displeasure with being railroaded into a situation you see as dangerous. Even if it's with very good reason.
It's November 2, 2026, as I write this, and currently the 2026 MotoGP weekend at Qatar is still scheduled to take place, despite the increasingly tense geopolitical situation that the nation of Qatar is very much a part of. Take this opening paragraph from PBS from earlier today, talking about how the Iranian delegation had left negotiations that had been taking place in Qatar.
It reads, very simply and to the point, like so.
The Middle East is bracing for a possible return to all-out war amid concerns that the United States and Israel could strike Iran shortly after Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections.
If this were a movie, I'd throw a little tape-rewinding sound effect in here, maybe throw a little filter over the footage to look like a reel of film stock winding backwards to what transpired over the weekend in Malaysia. There, Pramac Yamaha racer Jack Miller wasn't afraid to speak his mind about the discussions that have been going on up and down the paddock for a race that, let's not forget, has already been rescheduled once due to the escalating conflict in and around Qatar.
Proud Aussie racer Miller told Australia's Nine.com.au in no uncertain terms that,
"I don't want to go. Like everybody. There's 19 of us that don't want to go there. I don’t think we should be racing like that. We’ve made our opinion very clear on that. We’ll see what the decision is.
As riders, we’ve united and done the best we can, and threatened the best we can with what ammunition we have. Not only for us as riders, but also other people in the championship.
You speak to 50 per cent of the paddock, nobody wants to go. I don’t understand why we need to. I don’t understand."
He continued,
"We are not hiding our location or the time of day we will be at said location. If anyone does want to make an example, do whatever they do… Like I said, I don’t want to go.
In my mind I’m still not going. We’ve made our point. Our plan is very clear. I’m waiting to see what happens.
Everybody keeps asking me what the f--- we’re doing. It’s not up to us. We’re a number in this game, unfortunately.
There's 19, 20 of us that are pretty adamant. We don't want to go."
Miller said this prior to Yamaha (and Pramac Yamaha, the team with which Miller will be hanging up his MotoGP leathers at the end of the season before moving on to WSBK in 2027) officially pulling out of Qatar. One thing I've always admired about Miller is his forthrightness, and this is no exception. Yeah, you could argue that he's leaving at the end of the season, so he has less to lose than some of the other riders in the paddock.
But then you have statements like the one that Marc Marquez, who may finally take his 10th world championship this year, is making. What's he doing? With a championship on the line, and his two principle competitors in line for that crown already saying they'll be there, he does currently plan to race in Qatar.
But he's apparently getting there as late as he possibly can. It sends a distinct message of, "I'm here because I have to be, not because I want to be." Nevertheless, unless something changes in the next couple of days, there he'll be. His brother Alex, meanwhile, doesn't have a championship on the line. So he's taking the weekend to go have shoulder surgery far, far away from any real or perceived threats that cast a shadow over the Qatar MotoGP round in 2026.
But Then, Yamaha Said No
At the time of writing, Yamaha has so far been the only team to officially back out of Qatar, citing safety concerns. Specifically, it cites "company-wide travel restrictions," not restrictions specifically related to the MotoGP team or series.
It's a strong move. Granted, Yamaha isn't playing for a title. However, points are points, and participation is participation, so it's still a significant statement.
For its part, MotoGP Group (which, as you'll recall, is now part of Liberty Media; we'll come back to this in a moment) expressed disappointment in Yamaha's decision. That part isn't surprising. What is somewhat surprising (and alarming) is the final paragraph of the MotoGP Group's official statement on the matter, which reads
In addition to the contractual implications of Yamaha's decision for its agreements with MotoGP and IRTA, Yamaha's non-participation also carries sporting implications, with any sporting consequences to be managed by the FIM in accordance with the Championship regulations.
This isn't just Yamaha pulling out of a race because it feels like it. It's clear that a lot of thought and deliberation went into Yamaha's decision to pull out of this race.
For a series that canceled the final Australian MotoGP round at Phillip Island a couple of weeks ago merely because visibility was so bad the medical helicopter couldn't fly, it absolutely beggars belief that the MotoGP group doesn't process the current situation in and around Qatar as a potential threat to the safety of everyone involved with the racing weekend. RideApart has reached out to the FIM for comment on this matter. We will update this piece if and when we hear back.
But over at MotorSport Magazine, the always brilliant Mat Oxley makes a strong case for what the true, driving motivations behind this decision likely are. Point by point, he notes that current MotoGP owner Liberty Media, which also owns another, even bigger motorsport circus known as F1 (I say that fondly, please bear in mind), stands to lose a whole lot of money (we're talking potentially billions of dollars) if those uppity racing teams and riders (and drivers) in their crown jewel series think they can say no to racing in the Middle East as conflict rains down all around them.
Because if MotoGP can do it, so can F1. And F1 is absolutely where their bread is buttered (if by "buttered," you mean "slathered with Scrooge McDuck levels of cash"). Currently, the 2026 F1 calendar has races slated to take place in both Qatar and nearby Abu Dhabi at the end of November and December, respectively. If F1 teams and/or racers feel emboldened to put their foot (or feet) down and not go, the financial blows to Liberty Media could be substantial.
Back to the premiere racing series in hand, though. Oxley also points out that MotoGP threatening racing penalties against Yamaha and anyone else that dares follow their lead in MotoGP will set MotoGP apart from literally every other racing and professional sporting series that currently exists. Well, that and threatening to penalize riders for not participating in promotional activities outside of racing, but that's a different problem for a different day (although it is still BS, just BS at a less potentially life-altering or unaliving level).
MotoGP teams, racers, and personnel are, by and large, not based in the US. But Liberty Media is, and directly above, you'll see a screencap of the US Department of State's current travel advisory for Qatar.
If you zoom out and take it a bit further, we can also look at what the travel advisories currently look like for the entire region. Spoiler alert: It's either "Do Not Travel" or "Reconsider Travel" all around. This is neither conjecture, nor hyperbole; it is straight facts. The MotoGP paddock has plenty of valid reasons to be concerned for their safety, as well as the safety of fans who attend.
To put that in perspective, Qatar currently shares the same level of State Department travel advisory with Iran. You know, the country with which the US and Israel are actively engaged in a war? Yes, that one.
Also, whether you pay attention to the Dakar racing series or not, it's worth noting that Dakar's organizers officially announced they are pulling out of Saudi Arabia for the 2027 event, which was originally scheduled to start on January 1. It has now been rerouted far away from the region, with a slight delay pushing it back further into the month of January 2027.
Why? Safety concerns. Safety concerns are serious enough that Dakar moved away from Saudi Arabia for the first time in several years, and only a couple of months ahead of the actual event. The logistics involved in putting on an off-road race of that size and scope are incredible, and shipments often happen quite far in advance to get the necessary equipment to the starting line on time. So, to make a move like that shows you the seriousness of that decision.
At the time of writing, the MotoGP round at Qatar is still scheduled to take place. Should it? It seems pretty clear that the answer is no.
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