Liberty confirms to the teams: MotoGP event in Qatar will go ahead

Due to the military conflict in the Middle East, there had long been talk of the Qatar Grand Prix being cancelled. It had originally been scheduled for the end of March this year, but was then postponed to early November.

The situation remains uncertain, but during the Indonesian Grand Prix in early October, Carlos Ezpeleta, the deputy CEO of MotoGP, said that the Qatar Grand Prix would go ahead as planned. At the time, he said: “We are currently working, as planned, on organising the Qatar Grand Prix, whilst the safety of all those involved – our team and the fans – remains our top priority. However, should the situation change at short notice, we will respond and draw up a safe plan with the teams and the organisers, just as we did when the 2024 Valencia Grand Prix was cancelled.”

On 28 October, the IRTA team association informed the MotoGP teams that the event, scheduled for the weekend of 6–8 November, would go ahead. Liberty Media and the organising MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group will see the event through; after all, there is a lot of money at stake.

Uncertainty remains

Whether everyone in the MotoGP paddock supports this decision is another matter. During last weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, the riders were asked about it. Some, such as champion Marc Márquez (Ducati), did not wish to comment on the matter, whilst others pointed out that they had a job to do. KTM star Pedro Acosta said at Phillip Island: “To be honest, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but ultimately I ride for a brand, I ride for a championship, and if they make the decision to go ahead, we should go.”

What remains is uncertainty. Many riders will not be keen on flying to Doha next week. They will try to put the global political situation out of their minds and focus on their job on the track at the Qatar Grand Prix.

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30.10.2026 - 01:55