MotoGP is still trying to hold the Qatar Grand Prix despite the conflict in the Middle East, but the timeline is tightening and the internal signals point in opposite directions.
Newly appointed deputy CEO Carlos Ezpeleta, speaking ahead of the Aragon GP, said the championship remains in active talks with Qatari authorities and wants a resolution quickly. "We are still working and talking with the government of Qatar," he said. "We know that several events in the region have been confirmed in recent days and, from our side, we are still trying to be able to go to Qatar."
The race carries added weight because of when it now falls. Originally slated for April, the Qatar round was pushed to November 8 after hostilities broke out between Iran and the United States. The Losail International Circuit sits roughly 25 miles from Al Udeid Air Base, which was targeted multiple times by Iranian rocket attacks in the early phase of the conflict.
Ezpeleta framed the urgency less around logistics than around competition. With the title fight down to the wire, teams need to know how many rounds they are managing before they commit to a strategy for the closing stretch. "It's not the same managing for six events or seven," he said, adding that the decision needs to land before the Asian tour opens with the Japanese Grand Prix on October 4. "We want to have that decision made before we start the Asian tour."
That is the official line. However, the reporting around it is less optimistic. According to The Race, a decision is expected within days and MotoGP now appears set to drop Qatar outright. Paddock chatter had floated a replacement venue, with a second weekend at Sepang cited as the most likely candidate, but that plan reportedly is off the table too. As a result, and per those same reports, the 2026 calendar would be trimmed from 22 rounds to 21, with no substitute race slotted in.
The Qatar question is tangled up with the 2027 calendar, which Ezpeleta described as "nearly set" but still contingent on how the region develops. Meanwhile, he teased "exciting news about Adelaide" and two new events for next season, with an announcement roughly "three weeks, four weeks away."
The situation also throws a spotlight on Formula 1, now a corporate sibling. Liberty Media, which has held F1's commercial rights since 2017, completed its 84 percent acquisition of Dorna Sports in July 2025 in a deal worth around €4.3 billion (about US$5.0 billion at the time), bringing both championships under the same American ownership. F1 still has Qatar and Abu Dhabi on its late-season slate with no certainty attached, and as a result the delay has pushed back its own 2027 calendar announcement, with Imola reportedly the leading alternative. Formula One Management plans to decide toward the end of September, and there is a clear financial reason to wait, since both Middle East host venues pay substantial fees and F1 is reluctant to walk away from that revenue while any chance of racing remains.
Another car racing series, the World Endurance Championship, by contrast, has already moved on. It scrapped its Qatar season opener earlier this year in favor of Imola, then canceled its Bahrain round in July, keeping its final two weekends in Europe at Barcelona and Monza.
Become a Motorcycle.com insider. Get the latest motorcycle news first by subscribing to our newsletter here.
Leave a Comment