Yamaha pull out of Qatar Grand Prix amid regional unrest

Navigating the corner: Ducati Lenovo’s Marc Marquez leading the MotoGP race at the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang.

SEPANG: Yamaha have announced that they will not be taking part in this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix amid ongoing unrest in the Middle East.

As the curtains closed on the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix yesterday, the MotoGP calendar faces uncertainty as several teams and riders have expressed their doubts over racing at the Lusail International Circuit this weekend.

The Yamaha factory team issued a statement yesterday, citing “company-wide travel restrictions”.

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

“As a result, Yamaha have informed MotoGP Group about their 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 organiser.

“Yamaha remain fully committed to MotoGP and look forward to returning to competition at the Portuguese Grand Prix,” the statement said.

While Yamaha did not mention other teams, they would highly likely apply to their partner team Pramac as well.

In response, MotoGP issued a statement expressing their disappointment in Yamaha’s decision to boycott the race in Qatar, adding that the team could face sporting implications if they go through with their decision.

“MotoGP is disappointed by Yamaha’s decision not to participate in the Qatar Grand Prix. While we recognise the team are subject to a broader corporate policy restricting travel to the Middle East, we do not believe this decision reflects the extensive assurances provided to all championship stakeholders,” they said.

MotoGP said they had not received any information from the Qataris that would warrant a change to the current plans for the race weekend.

At the same time, several media outlets have reported that a signed letter from the majority of riders was sent to MotoGP, with 19 of the 22 riders opting not to race in Qatar.

However, MotoGP said all other teams besides Yamaha have confirmed their participation for Qatar.