MotoGP in Qatar: Nobody wants to – but (almost) everyone will be travelling to Qatar

Immediately following the outbreak of the Iran War at the end of February 2026, MotoGP was forced to postpone the Qatar Grand Prix, which had originally been scheduled for mid-April. A key reason for this was that air traffic over the globally significant European hub could no longer be operated as normal. Commercial air traffic over Doha was suspended for around seven weeks.

As things stand today, all flights are operating without restrictions, thereby fulfilling a key prerequisite for staging the MotoGP event scheduled for next week (6 to 8 November). It was only yesterday, Friday, that the MotoGP sporting director in Doha assessed the overall situation – and, immediately upon his return to Sepang, communicated the confirmed facts to the MotoGP team.

Emotions cannot be ignored

Later that evening in Sepang, there was also a face-to-face discussion between the riders in the premier class and MotoGP manager and ‘diplomat’ Carlos Ezpeleta. Whilst, from a sporting perspective, the focus in South-East Asia is on the next step towards the World Championship title, the Qatar Grand Prix has become the number one topic of discussion. The closer the date gets, the more acute the internal conflict becomes for everyone involved. It is an open secret that even within MotoGP’s innermost circle of leadership, fears take precedence.

MotoGP-Siegerehrung 2025 in Losail mit Marquez, Vinales und Bagnaia

Foto: Gold and Goose

Purely in terms of the emotional situation, the entire MotoGP circus is resisting the idea. Holding the Qatar Grand Prix seems disproportionate and too risky. As well as personal fears for their own safety, the championship itself is at stake. Why make everything hinge on a controversial Qatar GP and thereby jeopardise the rest of the World Championship? What if, after the MotoGP arrives next Tuesday, air traffic grinds to a halt again for weeks and the entire MotoGP is stranded in the desert? For the World Championship to go ahead, the two events in Portimão and Valencia must take place. The finale has long been fully booked – does all this mean the Qatar GP is being forced through at all costs?

Topic of the week

Soon-to-be world champion Kimi Antonelli: The inevitable will then follow in Mexico

The 20-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli had the chance to secure the 2026 World Championship title at the US Grand Prix. He did everything right: victory in Texas. The title celebrations have nevertheless been postponed. Until Mexico.

Mathias Brunner

Read More

TV Program

Tomorrow

Sepang: International Livestream

MotoGP World Championship

01.11.2026 - 03:35

The decision on the Qatar GP is based on facts

The point is this: as a commercial organisation – albeit one that assesses risks – MotoGP’s decision is based exclusively on facts. And as things stand today, those facts allow for Round 20 to go ahead in the desert state.

At the same time, however, the current fears are not the result of pub-table speculation, but the distillation of ongoing developments on the global political stage. The fact that positions could harden at short notice against the backdrop of the US political climate – with the so-called mid-term elections in the middle of next week being the key factor – is not mere fantasy; it is a concrete threat directly linked to the Middle East conflict. Although not officially confirmed, several members of staff in the paddock have already informed their bosses that they are leaving. Everyone else will be setting off very soon.