MotoGP Confident Qatar Race Can Go Ahead Despite Rider Pushback Over Safety
MotoGP is set to go ahead with the Qatar Grand Prix even as a group of riders demand more assurances for travelling to the region, with organisers arguing that a "zero-risk environment" is unrealistic.
The race at the Lusail International Circuit, originally scheduled for April, was postponed to November 6-8 due to the regional conflict. It will be the 20th round of the season.
"MotoGP has provided teams and riders with every assurance available from the State of Qatar, the circuit and our own ongoing risk assessment processes," a MotoGP spokesperson told Reuters. "We fully respect the concerns raised and highlight that safety remains the priority for everyone involved." However, the spokesperson said the expectation of a zero-risk environment was not realistic anywhere in the world by any government or organiser.
Carlos Ezpeleta, deputy CEO of MotoGP, visited Qatar on Thursday, where the circuit's president Abdulrahman Al-Mannai said they were ready to welcome the riders, teams and fans. However, Spain's embassy in Qatar has issued a notice urging its citizens not to travel to the Gulf nation unless it was absolutely necessary. Spaniards make up the largest share of riders on the grid, including world champion Marc Marquez.
A MotoGP source said Qatar has guaranteed teams would not be stranded in case of escalation in the conflict and they could leave the country safely in time for the final two rounds in Portugal and Spain later in November.
The source said championship leader Marquez, a seven-times MotoGP champion, was one of the riders seeking more assurances. Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi defended the Spaniard: "Marc simply asked, as many other riders did, for an organisational safety plan - nothing more, nothing less. He did not say, 'I don't want to go'."
Aprilia are keen to race in Qatar with Spanish rider Jorge Martin, second in the standings behind Marquez after withdrawing from the Malaysian Grand Prix due to a wrist injury. Reuters has contacted Ducati and Marquez for comment, according to Reuters.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：MotoGP 卡塔尔大奖赛比赛画面（资料图，Lusail 国际赛车场）。照片：Box Repsol，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / MotoGP racing at the Qatar Grand Prix at Lusail International Circuit (file photo). Photo by Box Repsol, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
