Alex Rins: “I don’t know if Yamaha has decided to go to Qatar.” The riders stand firm

One week before the Qatar Grand Prix, one manufacturer has yet to resolve whether it will make the trip. Alex Rins revealed as much: speaking in the Sepang paddock, the Spanish rider explained that, at least until Wednesday, Yamaha was the only MotoGP manufacturer that did not know whether it would be heading to Losail.

The question put to him was straightforward: if Yamaha tells you to get on the plane, do you have to go? Rins’s answer shifted the focus to his team’s position: “At the moment, Yamaha is the only manufacturer that, as of yesterday, still didn’t know whether it would be going to Qatar. I don’t know if the situation has changed today, because I’ve only just arrived at the circuit” he told his colleagues at GPone. The riders actually have very little say in the matter, and the Qatar Grand Prix will go ahead: we explained why here.

Safety has been a hot topic for days. Qatar and MotoGP maintain that there are currently no risks to the event going ahead, but the riders are asking for concrete assurances, for example regarding evacuation if the airspace were to close following a resumption of hostilities in the region. Rins declined to comment on the requests made or the responses received, but stressed that the group is standing together. "I’d like to talk about it, but I can’t. The only thing I can say is that we’re more united than ever. I wasn’t in India in 2023 because I was ill, but this time we’re more united than ever. I had the opportunity to speak with all the riders in Australia and to talk here with our representatives, including Carmelo Ezpeleta. It’s important. I can’t add anything else about Qatar, as you can imagine, but I can assure you that we really are united

Asked about the influence riders can have on the final decision, the Spaniard returned to the same point: “As for the power we might have, as I said, we’re trying to stay united.”

The Yamaha situation is part of a complex picture. According to Crash.net, the latest guidance from the Japanese government is to avoid non-essential travel to Qatar. Meanwhile, Carlos Ezpeleta, MotoGP’s deputy CEO, travelled to Doha after the Australian Grand Prix for further talks about the race. In recent days, the Emirate’s Ministry of Sport had also sent the MotoGP Group a letter, which was then forwarded to the teams, offering a number of reassurances.

The Losail round, scheduled for November 6–8, was originally due to take place in April. Its rescheduling has already pushed back the season’s final two rounds, Portimao and Valencia, by a week.

Before thinking about the Gulf, Rins has the Malaysian weekend to tackle, and the outlook is not straightforward. “It will be difficult, because we already struggled during testing”, he explained, recalling that the team was unable to ride at all for an entire day because of reliability issues. “It seems they’ve identified the problem, but we’ll have to wait and see whether the bike has improved or not”.

Asked whether Losail might suit his bike, the Spaniard remained cautious: “I don’t know. It’s a bike I really like, especially when it comes to riding on long circuits”. Before they can even consider performance, though, the people in Iwata will have to decide whether they will actually be at Losail.

-> Follow us on Instagram too: @Corsedimoto