Yamaha undecided on Qatar MotoGP due to Middle East conflict

Could one of the most iconic motorcycle manufacturers actually tell MotoGP it won’t race in Qatar? Well, these comments from Alex Rins suggest it could be a possibility. 

As of Wednesday, Yamaha was still undecided whether it would race at the Lusail International Circuit next weekend, according to Rins. 

This is because of the ongoing war in the Middle East between the US and Israel, against Iran, which has created safety concerns for both the teams and their personnel heading to the event. 

MotoGP has consistently maintained its stance that the Qatar GP will go ahead on November 6-8, even though two-thirds of the MotoGP grid are reported to be against racing in Lusail. 

With safety at the forefront of everyone’s minds, riders are seeking assurances that the event can go ahead without any issues.

However, it appears as though teams, or at least Yamaha, are in the same boat based on comments made by Rins to GPOne.

Speaking about his view on the matter, Rins said:

“The only thing I can say is that we [the riders] are more united than ever. I had the opportunity to meet with all the riders in Australia and to speak here with our team representatives, and Carmelo Ezpeleta.

“It's important... I can't say anything else about Qatar, as you can imagine, but I can assure you that we are truly united.”

Rins was then asked about Yamaha and what he would do if told by the Japanese company that he needed to race, which prompted this response:  

“At the moment, Yamaha is the only manufacturer that, until yesterday, still didn't know if it would go to Qatar. Today I don't know if the situation has changed, because I just arrived at the circuit.”

Since Wednesday, it’s unclear whether Yamaha’s view has changed, or whether the marque has had reassurances from MotoGP officials regarding the safety of the event, and travelling there in the first place.

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