Qatar Case, Time for Reckoning: Here’s Who Will Face the System’s Wrath

The Qatar GP is now in the books, but the bill has yet to arrive. Carlos Ezpeleta, head of MotoGP Group, has weighed in on the consequences of Yamaha’s withdrawal from Lusail without making any commitments: the contract with Yamaha is commercial, while any sporting sanctions are up to the FIM. Meanwhile, a possible way forward for Pramac is emerging from the paddock.

MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group has no interest in clashing with Yamaha, let alone with Pramac, which for many reasons is one of the paddock’s most powerful outfits. Let’s not forget that Paolo Campinoti was one of the driving forces behind the contact between Liberty Media and Dorna—the deal that changed the future of motorcycle racing’s premier class. Reading between the lines of the official statements, it is clear that the riders are in the firing line, the weakest link in the whole chain. There may well be no sanctions, but the contractual control teams already exercise will certainly become even tighter.

Even now, riders cannot speak out on a host of issues because they are gagged by extremely strict clauses. In future, things will be even worse.

Yamaha is bound to MotoGP Group by a contract, and its absence in Qatar represents a breach of that agreement. On paper, a penalty could follow, but no one has said what it might be. Ezpeleta made it clear that discussions would remain confidential and that the promoter has no intention of getting involved in disciplinary matters. In other words, the financial issue will be discussed behind closed doors, while the sporting issue (the threat of disqualifications was also on the table) falls under the Federation’s remit.

“It’s a commercial contract that we cannot discuss publicly. We’ll talk to Yamaha and, if anything is decided, we’ll announce it. As of today, our relationship with them is purely commercial and, as we always say, we don’t want to be involved in sporting matters, nor are we. That’s a matter for the FIM.” The problem is that, so far, the FIM has not said a word about what measures could be imposed on the Japanese manufacturer.

After the Malaysian GP, Yamaha announced the withdrawal of all four bikes—factory and Pramac—citing its internal policy on travel to the Middle East amid uncertainty surrounding the war with Iran. The Lusail grid was thus reduced to 18 bikes, then down to 16 because of injuries. The championship had threatened sanctions after 19 of the 22 riders signed a letter stating that they did not want to race. The weekend went ahead as planned, although a security alert for US citizens in Qatar was issued on Friday, and attacks were reported in Iran and Saudi Arabia during the event.

Ezpeleta admits that something went wrong in the way the situation was handled in the media: “It’s clear that, because of all the noise surrounding the event, we exposed ourselves unnecessarily. That’s what we need to correct.” Without saying how, he adds that there are things to improve for the organizers, teams and riders, who “have always been the stars of MotoGP.” The message is clear: the riders are to blame for creating a storm that put MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group in an extremely difficult position with the State of Qatar, one of the most reliable funders of Liberty Media-backed motorsport, from Formula 1 to MotoGP.

What’s more, according to journalist Mat Oxley, as reported by Paddock-GP, some members of the satellite team were at Lusail to set up the garage. VR46 team manager Pablo Nieto spoke about it to Diario AS: “I think the penalty will affect Yamaha more than Pramac, because Pramac showed up here, but its problem is that it can’t race because its staff are employed by Yamaha.”

Nieto remains cautious: he thinks the penalty will be aimed directly at Yamaha Factory, but cannot say so for certain, as he believes this is the first time anything like this has happened. He does, however, recall the warnings given to the teams: “We were told they would be very strict, very tough, and I imagine that’s what will happen.” The sense is that, as always, the score will be settled behind closed doors at MotoGP. Don’t be surprised if, in 2027, the riders talk only about trivialities.

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