The world championship leader was asked at Sepang on Sunday whether MotoGP should be racing in Qatar at all.

“I prefer to say nothing,” Marc Marquez told reporters after winning the Malaysian Grand Prix, before adding he would fly home to Spain first and travel on to Lusail only at “the latest time possible, Thursday evening.”

Two days after that press conference, the US military struck Iranian surface-to-air missile sites on Qeshm Island, at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz. US officials described the operation as a defensive response to Iranian fire on American assets. Iranian state media reported five explosions on the island. Qatar sits across the Gulf.

Yamaha walk away, the paddock sign a letter

Yamaha were the first manufacturer to blink. The Japanese factory announced on Sunday, straight after Malaysia, that it would not travel to Lusail with Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins, citing company-wide travel restrictions that it had not found sufficient grounds to change.

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MotoGP’s commercial rights holder said it was disappointed and that Yamaha’s non-participation “carries sporting implications,” adding that talks with the Qatari organisers and its own safety advisers had not flagged any reason to change plans for the race, which runs Friday to Sunday at the Lusail International Circuit outside Doha.

A separate riders’ letter, reported by Grandepremio, called on the series to assume responsibility for the consequences of staging the race and to spell out evacuation arrangements. According to the report, Marco Bezzecchi, Ai Ogura and Johann Zarco did not sign.

Marquez’s match point

On paper, Sunday is Marquez’s first match point, but not his last. Three rounds remain in the season after Malaysia, and he goes to Lusail 44 points clear of the injured Jorge Martin, the only rider still mathematically in contention.

By the championship’s own maths, Marquez must leave Qatar with a 74-point lead to clinch, meaning he has to outscore his nearest title rival by 30 across Saturday’s sprint and Sunday’s grand prix. In practice he needs to finish at least fifth in the sprint to keep the title alive for Sunday; sixth or lower, and the fight rolls on to the Portuguese Grand Prix. Win the sprint and a second place in the main race is enough.

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A title in Qatar would be his eighth premier-class crown and his tenth across all grand prix categories, moving him level with Giacomo Agostini’s eight premier titles and one clear of Valentino Rossi’s mark of seven.

The grid he does it on will be the smallest in modern MotoGP memory. Honda’s Joan Mir is absent, with a World Superbike rider stepping in. Alex Marquez is sitting out after shoulder surgery. Martin’s start is in doubt as he recovers from a crash in Australia. Ducati, Aprilia, KTM and Honda have all confirmed they are travelling.

Lights out on Sunday

Lusail is MotoGP’s only night race. Practice starts on Friday, 6 November, the sprint runs on Saturday, and the grand prix is on Sunday, 8 November.

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