MotoGP: riders vote against Qatar GP at Phillip Island, says The Race

The Race reports that MotoGP riders held a closed-door meeting on Thursday evening at Phillip Island, during the Australian Grand Prix weekend. They voted on whether they are prepared to race in Qatar in about two weeks: two thirds of those present reportedly voted against racing at Lusail. The vote is reported by the British site from its own sources and has not been officially confirmed by MotoGP.

Why riders are worried

According to The Race, several factors weigh on the riders:

• rising tensions in the Gulf region and a growing number of travel warnings;
• a race already moved from April to November after hostilities between Iran, Israel and the United States, with a shaky truce in place since April;
• the US midterm elections, which fall in the same week as the race;
• signs of possible US military action, including the evacuation of dependants of US embassy staff and a third US aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean;
• insurance and business-travel questions, with Japan advising against non-essential travel to Qatar;
• the risk of airspace closures, which could strand personnel and freight and also affect the Portugal and Spain rounds.

If the race goes ahead, TNT Sports would commentate from London rather than on site.

The organisers' position

Autosport reported on 20 October that the teams' association, IRTA, had emailed teams to say it intends to hold the Qatar Grand Prix on 6-8 November. The race was postponed from April after war broke out in Iran in late February. MotoGP's promoter considers assurances from the Qatari authorities and the local promoter sufficient. According to IRTA, the local promoter has a contingency plan and no embassy has advised a change of approach. The Qatari government also says Hamad International Airport is operating normally.

Autosport added that, by its understanding, about three quarters of the grid would prefer to avoid Doha, against a quarter in favour of going ahead. Yamaha and Honda, initially firmly opposed to sending staff to a conflict zone, have changed position.

Álex Márquez asks for patience

On 22 October, Álex Márquez asked MotoGP to wait a few more days before deciding: in his view the situation changes every day and appears to be getting worse. He acknowledged that major financial interests are at stake, while stressing the health of the many people who will have to travel. Teams are due to travel from Sepang to Lusail in early November, and the circuit also hosts Formula 1 on 27-29 November.

The final decision is not yet known: the editorial team will follow the story.