Here is the thing about racing paddocks: when the riders collectively decide to push back, you better pay attention. According to Motorsport.com, MotoGP riders are currently demanding a series of written guarantees before they agree to travel for the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix, which is currently scheduled to take place on 8 November. That race sits just three weeks before Formula 1 makes its own trip to the Middle Eastern nation.
The entire situation stems from the calendar adjustments that forced this season's only triple-header. The Losail round was originally supposed to run in April, but it got shoved into November because of the armed conflict in the Middle East between the United States/Israel and Iran. Even though hostility levels have dropped considerably since those first months of war, the region remains stuck in a period of instability. In fact, several key sites in Saudi Arabia were attacked by Iran-aligned Houthis in just recent weeks.
It won't happen here, but we will discuss it again when we return to Europe,
Despite all of that, the executives of MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (MGPSEG) insist they have sufficient guarantees from the Qatari government to run the 8 November event in complete safety. The Teams' Association (IRTA) even went so far as to confirm to all members earlier this week that the race would indeed go ahead.
Two weeks ago in Indonesia, however, several riders started voicing real reservations about heading to Losail. Things escalated when they used a WhatsApp group created years ago to hold a vote, resulting in three-quarters of the grid opposing the trip. On Thursday afternoon at Phillip Island, they met privately in an office at the circuit without a single MGPSEG member in sight to figure out their next move.
That led directly to a list of demands presented to MotoGP deputy CEO Carlos Ezpeleta during the Safety Commission meeting on Friday at 6pm at the MGPSEG offices at the Australian circuit. The riders want written guarantees covering a proper evacuation plan for the entire paddock if things go sideways, covered accommodation costs if the airspace happens to shut down, and specific repatriation insurance should the conflict escalate while everyone is still on the ground.
Teams have spent weeks preparing under the assumption that the Qatar Grand Prix is happening. Yet this whole ordeal might finally be the catalyst that forces a long-discussed riders' association into actual operation. An organization was technically established three years ago with Sylvain Guintoli appointed as spokesperson, though the Frenchman never actually took up the role. Now, the sheer weight of these safety demands seems ready to untie that knot.
"I think a series of situations have arisen that have made us all understand that [the association] is necessary. We are aware of it and understand that it is for our own good. In 2023 there was an attempt to get it started, but now we have all seen that we need it," Alex Marquez said at Phillip Island on Thursday.
"It won't happen here, but we will discuss it again when we return to Europe," Francesco Bagnaia added. "The unity of the riders is an important thing. We began thinking about this union in 2023. Although afterwards, for one reason or another, we did not make it happen. Now is the right time to take it up again, and for the riders to have more of a voice."
