Four empty garages at Lusail International Circuit will frame the title-decider weekend. Yamaha Motor Company has pulled all four of its MotoGP riders out of the Qatar Grand Prix on November 6-8, citing a company-wide travel policy that the Japanese manufacturer refuses to lift while the Middle East conflict continues.
The decision takes Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins out of the factory squad and strips the Pramac satellite team of Jack Miller and Augusto Fernández. Honda, Ducati, Aprilia and KTM are all expected to compete.
Yamaha’s statement left no room for compromise.
“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,” the manufacturer said.
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The company confirmed it plans to return for the following round at Portimão in Portugal.
MotoGP warns of ‘contractual implications’
Championship owner Dorna did not hide its frustration. In its own statement, MotoGP said it was “disappointed by Yamaha’s decision not to participate in the Qatar Grand Prix” and insisted the move did not reflect the “extensive assurances” received from Qatari authorities and independent safety advisers.
The series spelled out that there would be fallout. MotoGP said the withdrawal “carries sporting implications” and would have “contractual” consequences, with “sporting consequences to be managed by the FIM in accordance with the championship regulations”.
The FIM, which sanctions the world championship, has not yet detailed what penalties Yamaha or its riders might face.
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’19 of us don’t want to go’
The split between Yamaha and the series has been building for weeks. According to reporting from the paddock, 19 of the 22 full-time riders signed a letter opposing the trip to Qatar, worried by the fallout of this year’s US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iranian missile attacks on targets near Doha earlier in 2026.
Miller, speaking to reporters after the Malaysian round, was blunt.
“I don’t want to go, like everybody. There are 19 of us that do not want to go,” Miller told Motorsport Week.
He pointed to the publicly advertised schedule and the lack of a clear evacuation plan if the situation deteriorated.
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Yamaha is the only manufacturer that has acted on those concerns. The other factories have accepted the safety guarantees provided by Qatari authorities and will take the full complement of bikes to the grid.
Marquez closes in on the title
The withdrawal lands in the middle of the sport’s most consequential race in years. Marc Marquez leads the standings by 19 points over the injured Jorge Martin after the Malaysian sprint, with the title fight heading into its closing rounds.
Yamaha’s absence changes the arithmetic. The manufacturer’s four riders will score zero points at Lusail, and Yamaha’s Moto2 rider Izan Guevara will also skip the weekend while trailing the Moto2 title fight by 3.5 points, according to Al Jazeera.
Practice at Lusail is scheduled to start on Friday, November 6, with the sprint on Saturday and the main race on Sunday, November 8.
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