MotoGP’s deputy chief Carlos Ezpeleta says the championship was right to go ahead with the Qatar Grand Prix despite rider concerns about travelling to the Gulf amid the United States-Israel war on Iran, but added that Yamaha’s withdrawal came as a surprise.
MotoGP had based its decision on official information from the Qatari government and from embassies with a large presence in the paddock, Ezpeleta revealed on Wednesday.
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The race was postponed from April to November 6–8 due to the regional conflict, and Ezpeleta said the event would have been cancelled or postponed again if the situation had escalated.
“We can unequivocally say that it was the right decision,” Ezpeleta told the Reuters news agency.
“Obviously, it was normal that the riders showed their concerns, and I think that we mitigated those and confronted them to the best that we possibly could.”
“It’s just important in today’s day and age to follow official information and real intelligence versus speculation in the media and disinformation, which I think ultimately was what brought a lot of noise around the event itself.”
Several Saudi Arabian sporting events – including football, tennis, golf and cycling – were cancelled or postponed in recent weeks after attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on Riyadh’s international airport last month killed at least 12 people and wounded more than 300.
But Ezpeleta said Qatar had not been affected in the same way as its Gulf neighbours and that planning for the race had accelerated after conditions improved in June and July.
Yamaha withdrawal surprised MotoGP
However, Yamaha withdrew from the Qatar Grand Prix citing “company-wide travel restrictions” for the Middle East, with the factory team and the satellite team Prima Pramac not lining up on the grid, reducing the field to 18 riders.
“I can say that the decision surprised us, given the level of detail that was put into the assessment and all the planning,” Ezpeleta said.
“All the questions that Yamaha had were answered. Ultimately, Yamaha is a great partner of the championship historically, and I’m sure they will continue to be,” he added.
“We understand that it wasn’t a decision that was taken easily from their side, but it is a decision that was surprising to us for sure.”
MotoGP leaves sanctions to FIM
MotoGP had said Yamaha’s non-participation carried sporting implications, with any consequences to be managed by FIM, the governing body of motorcycle racing.
But Ezpeleta declined to speculate on penalties.
“We just said that we would manage any contractual matters with Yamaha directly and any sporting conversations would be handled by FIM,” he said.
“We continue to say that it’s a disappointment because I think one of the strengths of MotoGP as a championship is that all the riders, all the teams are committed for the full season,” Ezpeleta added.
“I would say as a rights holder that the teams are committed and obliged to show up at all the events and all races.”
Yamaha and FIM did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. Yamaha’s Moto2 team travelled to Qatar, with Izan Guevara in a close title fight and sitting second in the championship. He had a technical issue and did not finish.
‘Improve communication’
The episode has also raised questions about how well MotoGP’s management communicates with riders, and Ezpeleta acknowledged the need to improve that relationship with all stakeholders.
“We have to proactively push to improve communication, especially with the teams and the riders because they are obviously the most important part of the championship,” he said.
“We’ve been managing the sport for 35 years and we’ve had situations like this before,” Ezpeleta added, pointing to the 2011 race in Japan held after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
“There was a lot of controversy at the time, as was now with Qatar, guided by misinformation and speculation, rather than facts,” he said. “We continue to say that this was the right decision.”
Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi won the Qatar Grand Prix, but Ducati’s sprint winner Marc Marquez finished second to establish a 60-point lead in the championship with two rounds left.
