Here's the thing: as Motorsport.com Italia reports, another meeting has yielded the exact same stubborn conclusion. During yet another gathering between riders and championship bosses held this Thursday at Sepang, the organization doubled down on its stance that the current instability in the Middle East is simply not a strong enough reason to cancel next week's race. MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (MGPSEG), the commercial rights holder for the championship, remains fully convinced that the Qatar Grand Prix will go ahead as scheduled next week after being postponed for months from its original calendar slot.
The conflict that broke out in February between the United States and Israel on one side, and Iran on the other, created an unstable atmosphere in the United Arab Emirates region. While that tension has calmed somewhat compared to the early months of the war, it is far from resolved. For weeks now, the vast majority of the MotoGP grid has voiced deep reservations about traveling to a zone shadowed by a latent conflict that could reignite at any moment. More than three quarters of the starting grid declared themselves against the trip, putting them at direct odds with MGPSEG, which maintains that the guarantees offered by the government of Qatar are completely sufficient.
Following a meeting held Wednesday at the Sepang circuit offices involving riders and most team managers, CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta met with them on Thursday. The executive reiterated his position to those present, leaving the room with the distinct impression that the event will push forward regardless of whether any individual rider decides on a personal level to skip it. Ezpeleta pointed out that rider contracts bind them to their squads, meaning the teams themselves would face any potential sanctions instead.
Just last week in Australia, the riders asked MGPSEG for written guarantees concerning security and the coverage the paddock would receive in Qatar should the crisis worsen for personnel on the ground. The promoter countered that such a request falls completely outside its jurisdiction and must be handled by the nation's government. According to reports, Qatar did dispatch a document promising a response, though the riders are holding out for something far more specific. Carlos Ezpeleta, deputy director of MGPSEG, is expected to arrive in Malaysia in the coming hours to spell out the exact guarantees provided by the country.
Inside the teams, most personnel want nothing to do with the trip to Qatar, though stances vary wildly from camp to camp. Yamaha, for instance, plans to send the absolute minimum number of collaborators possible, a minimalist approach shared by Honda HRC. Alongside the teams, several television broadcasters holding transmission rights have already signaled their firm intention to send zero staff members to Lusail.
