Representative image: Fabio Quartararo’s Yamaha YZR-M1 in 2024. Photo: NickeldimeC / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Yamaha has pulled its factory team and Pramac from this weekend’s MotoGP round in Qatar, citing company-wide travel restrictions, which removes Fabio Quartararo, Álex Rins, Jack Miller and Augusto Fernández from the entry. The same news cycle brought a list titled “Zero Hour,” attributed to Iran’s Fars news agency, that GPBlog says includes hotels in Qatar and the UAE where MotoGP and F1 teams stay.
We have not found the Fars item. GPBlog’s November 3 report and Grande Prêmio’s follow-up, which says the list’s authenticity has not been independently verified, describe it as possible retaliation targets if the US and Israel attack Iran again. Neither names a hotel or a city, neither quotes Fars, and neither includes a statement from MotoGP, Dorna, F1 or the FIA about the list.
Márquez’s match point
Marc Márquez won at Sepang on November 1 and arrives in Qatar with a 44-point lead, and Lusail is his first chance to clinch. Racesport reports he is due in Qatar on Thursday evening and wants the stay kept short; the pre-event press conference has moved to Thursday at 20:00 local time. Álex Márquez will not ride either, but that is a recent shoulder operation, not travel policy.
What MotoGP has said
MotoGP says it is proceeding after consulting Qatari authorities, the circuit, embassies and security advisers, per Grande Prêmio. Al Jazeera reported on October 23 that the round was moved from April to November 6–8 because of the regional conflict, and that a MotoGP source told Reuters safety is the first priority. Ducati, Aprilia, KTM and Honda intend to race.
Racesport reports the organizer is going ahead despite objections from 19 of the 22 riders, and that some media who were at Sepang said they had not received the guarantees MotoGP describes. The organizer has said staying home could carry contractual and possibly sporting consequences. Sporting sanctions sit with the FIM, whose president, Jorge Viegas, has not commented publicly, so Yamaha is the first test of how that plays out.
F1’s two Gulf races
F1 is scheduled for Qatar on November 27–29 and Abu Dhabi on December 4–6. FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem said on October 20 that he expects both to run as planned and could not predict developments, according to Reuters. GPBlog separately reported that Formula One Management would reassess after the US midterms on November 3 and that contingency plans are being considered. F1 has not confirmed that, and no change to the calendar has been announced.
Max Verstappen said during the Mexican Grand Prix weekend that going depends on the guarantees offered and on how the situation develops. No drivers’ title is left to decide in either race, since Kimi Antonelli clinched in Mexico City.
First practice at Lusail is Friday morning, and Racesport notes it is not yet known how many riders will turn up. Should MotoGP let a championship be decided in Qatar this weekend?
Sources: GPBlog and Grande Prêmio reporting of the Fars “Zero Hour” list (November 3); Racesport (November 3); Al Jazeera (October 23); Reuters via TimesLIVE (October 21).
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