Yamaha will not race at the Qatar Grand Prix
Yamaha is keeping its company-wide restrictions on travel to the Middle East and expects to return at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
1 min readLusailQatarBy PitPin Desk
Yamaha's decision
Yamaha has told MotoGP Group that it will not take part in the Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail, the next round of the 2026 season. In a statement published on Sunday at the Malaysian Grand Prix, the company said its latest assessment of the situation in the Middle East had not identified sufficient grounds to change its existing company-wide travel restrictions.
Yamaha said the decision is independent of the measures taken by MotoGP Group and the event organiser. It expects to return at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
MotoGP's response
MotoGP Group said it was disappointed. After consulting the State of Qatar, Lusail International Circuit and independent safety advisers, it had received no information that would justify changing the plans for the event. The rest of the grid has confirmed it will race in Qatar.
MotoGP said Yamaha's absence has contractual implications for its agreements with MotoGP and IRTA. Any sporting consequences will be handled by the FIM under the championship regulations.