MotoGP postpones Qatar GP to November due to Middle East conflict

MotoGP has announced a new date for the Qatar Grand Prix, which was originally scheduled on 12 April, due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

As reported by Motorsport.com on Saturday, the Losail race will now take place on 8 November, forming a triple header with the Australian and Malaysian events in late October.

To accommodate the rescheduled Qatar event in a packed second half of the calendar, MotoGP has pushed back the final two races at Portimao and Valencia by a week.

As a result, the season will now conclude on 29 November with the Valencia Grand Prix. Although not officially confirmed, the post-season test with the next-generation 850cc bikes is expected to take place on Tuesday, 1 December.

MotoGP said the decision to postpone the Qatar race was taken in consultation with the FIM and Qatar promoters with the objective of “ensuring the safety, wellbeing, and highest‑quality delivery of the event for all participants and attendees.”

Enea Bastianini, Red Bull KTM Tech 3

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

The news follows Formula 1, also owned by Liberty Media, cancelling the Bahrain and Saudi Grands Prix scheduled in April due to the war between the US, Israel and Iran.

The World Endurance Championship, which was also due to visit Qatar in March, has taken a similar approach to MotoGP, moving its Losail event towards the end of the season.

“This decision was taken with great care and in full coordination with our partners in Qatar and across the paddock,” said Carmelo Ezpeleta, CEO of MotoGP. “Our priority is always the safety and wellbeing of everyone involved in MotoGP, as well as ensuring that every grand prix is delivered to the highest possible standard. We also recognise the importance of providing clarity for our fans as early as possible and ticket holders will be given the opportunity to rollover their tickets to the next event”

“I would also like to thank our partners in Portimao and Valencia for their collaboration and flexibility in helping us deliver a smooth transition to the revised calendar. We are confident that the updated schedule will allow us to preserve the quality of the championship while offering fans an exceptional season of racing.”

Apart from Qatar, MotoGP has no other races scheduled in the Gulf region this year.