Yamaha won't race in Qatar MotoGP in serious escalation of standoff with organisers

Yamaha has announced that it will not attend next weekend's Qatar MotoGP round due to 'existing company-wide travel restrictions'.

That means Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins, Jack Miller and Augusto Fernandez will not be taking part, while Gresini Ducati's Alex Marquez has already announced he will miss the event due to surgery. (Corrected: Injured Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez will be in Qatar).

The question now is whether Yamaha's move triggers similar decisions from rival manufacturers, teams and/or riders.

UPDATE: MotoGP has issued its own statement in response, saying "the remainder of the grid... will compete in Qatar".

Alex Rins revealed Yamaha had doubts over attending Qatar earlier in the Malaysian weekend. The latest advice from the Japanese government is to 'refrain from non-essential travel' to Qatar.

MotoGP riders have held multiple private meetings in recent weeks to air their own concerns over the Qatar round, with Jack Miller then spelling out the extent of opposition to the event on Sunday evening in Sepang (see below).

Yamaha statement on Qatar:

'Following its latest assessment of the situation in the Middle East, Yamaha has not identified sufficient grounds to change its existing company-wide travel restrictions.

'As a result, Yamaha has informed MotoGP Group about its decision not to participate in the 2026 Qatar Grand Prix.

'This decision reflects Yamaha’s assessment of the information currently available and is independent of the measures implemented by MotoGP Group and the event organizer.

'Yamaha remains fully committed to MotoGP and looks forward to returning to competition at the Portuguese Grand Prix.'

Jack Miller rages at MotoGP over Qatar race and issues bleak warning

Speaking before Yamaha's statement, Jack Miller raged at MotoGP for pushing ahead with the Qatar Grand Prix, while warning the championship has done nothing to hide its presence “if anyone does want to make an example”.

The conflict in the Middle East between Iran and the US is threatening to escalate in the coming days. Many governments have advised against travel to Qatar, but MotoGP is adamant it can safely stage the race at Lusail on 6-8 November.

The riders have been pressing hard for the past week to get the race cancelled, though the championship is now increasing its threats against them if they do stage any kind of protest.

19 riders out of 22 don’t want to race in Qatar

Multiple media outlets have reported on Sunday morning that a signed letter from the majority of riders was sent to MotoGP Group in a final play to have the Qatar Grand Prix axed.

This comes a day after Motorsport reported that the MotoGP Group is threatening financial and sporting penalties to any rider who misses Qatar, with race bans on the table.

How enforceable these new penalties are remains a point of debate, as the governing body, the FIM, has made no comment so far.

Pramac Yamaha’s Miller says 19 riders agree that Qatar shouldn’t go ahead.

“I don’t want to go,” the Australian fumed on Sunday at the Malaysian Grand Prix.

“There are 19 of us who 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% of the paddock, nobody wants to go. I don’t understand why we need to.”

The crux of the matter is financial. Without a government ban on travel to Qatar, or the race organisers cancelling the event, MotoGP cannot call the race off without taking a big financial hit.

Talks of a riders’ union being formed would also be strengthened if the championship bows to the 19’s demands to cancel the race.

Miller flags safety warning

The 19 riders are wary of an escalation in the conflict while MotoGP is in Qatar.

Even without a direct attack, riders and paddock members could find themselves trapped in Doha if airspace in the region is closed, which would in turn jeopardise the final two rounds of the campaign.

Most global events have steered clear of the Middle East this year.

MotoGP would be the first major sporting event to be held in the region for some time, ahead of Formula 1’s arrival at the end of November.

Miller pointed out that MotoGP's location and timings are no secret should Iran or its proxy forces in the region decide to launch an attack.

“We are not hiding our location or the time of day we will be at said location," Miller said.

"If anyone does want to make an example, do whatever they [want to] do…”

The riders have reportedly been assured of an evacuation plan should the situation deteriorate.

What about Guevara's Moto2 title challenge?

While Yamaha isn't a contender for any of the MotoGP titles, its Pramac Yamaha Moto2 rider Izan Guevara is currently locked in a world championship duel with Manuel Gonzalez for the intermediate class crown.

However, the Yamaha statement made no mention of its Moto2 team, while the Triumph-powered Boscoscuro chassis doesn't require the presence of Yamaha technicians, and it appears that the Moto2 squad will still travel to Qatar.

Guevara has closed to within 3.5 points of Gonzalez after Sunday's Sepang race.

Qatar is due to be the first of three remaining rounds, followed by Portimao and Valencia.

Marc Marquez will have his first mathematical chance to secure the 2026 MotoGP crown next weekend, assuming the event goes ahead.

Who else might miss Qatar?

While the four Yamaha riders and Alex Marquez are confirmed as absent, Jorge Martin, Raul Fernandez and Fermin Aldeguer all need to be declared fit to return after missing Malaysia due to injuries. A question mark also hangs over Joan Mir, who retired from the Sepang race due to fatigue issues.