Diogo Moreira reveals reason for Qatar retirement: “The elbow nerve—it just kept getting worse.”

It wasn’t Honda that let him down, but his arm. Diogo Moreira explained that his retirement from the Qatar Grand Prix was due to an old elbow injury sustained in a crash at the Sachsenring back when he was still racing in Moto2. The Brazilian rookie with the LCR team, however, is confident he can be back to full fitness as early as Portimao.

Suspecting a technical failure was more than understandable. Johann Zarco had already experienced problems with his bike in Australia and Malaysia, and Lusail was a difficult weekend for the entire Japanese manufacturer. However, the 22-year-old soon made it clear that the problem was physical: "I had to retire because I was losing strength in my arm", he told Paddock-GP.

Moreira himself described the situation. "Last year I had a crash at the Sachsenring. The main problem now is the nerve in my elbow". The discomfort has been lingering for weeks and was made worse by the Asian leg of the season. In Malaysia, he felt the pain on Saturday but still took the start in the race. In Qatar, however, it had already set in by Friday.

The Brazilian also pointed to the calendar and the type of circuits. "At the moment, there are simply so many days on the bike, and then Malaysia and Qatar are circuits with a lot of right-hand corners. This is also a physically demanding track", he explained. It is an issue that extends beyond his case: the relentless MotoGP season takes a physical toll on riders, and the 2027 calendar will be even more packed.

The weekend in Lusail had got off to a difficult start, following an overseas trip that had also brought him his first MotoGP podium. Moreira finished Friday in 17th place, missing out on direct entry to Q2, and qualified 16th. In Saturday’s Sprint, he handled the rain well, climbing to tenth. "I felt it in the last few laps of the Sprint; on Sunday it was impossible. I could feel the pain", he admitted.

He made a good start in the race, working his way up to 11th place. From lap six, however, he began a gradual slide down the order: by lap 14 he was 15th, with only Jake Dixon behind him, and shortly afterwards he was also passed by his fellow Honda rider. On lap 16 of the scheduled 22, Moreira returned to the pits. "I really struggled here. I was very tense on the bike, and by the end of the race it got even worse", he added.

His withdrawal adds to a difficult spell for the Honda riders. Joan Mir missed the Qatar GP due to illness, while Luca Marini had to pull out after warm-up following a relapse of a viral infection. Zarco, who finished ninth, and Dixon, who came 14th, were the only riders to make it to the finish on Sunday.

Moreira is already looking ahead. "Now we have a week to rest and keep training. I’m sure things will be better again in Portimao", he said, before setting his goal: "Now I need to recover, and I’ll be back at 100 per cent in Portimao". The Portuguese GP will show whether the rest has been enough to get his elbow back to normal.

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