Yamaha didn’t get away with it: it will have to pay its rivals for forfeiting in Qatar

Yamaha’s withdrawal in Qatar will prove costly, and its rivals will be the ones to benefit. The Iwata-based manufacturer will face no penalty in the standings, but the MotoGP Group has decided to share the fine among those who showed up at Lusail. FIM President Jorge Viegas explained the decision and also announced a change of direction: in future, anyone who skips a Grand Prix could face sporting consequences.

We had already reported that the FIM had ruled out sporting sanctions in Yamaha withdraws from Qatar, no sporting sanctions: FIM contradicts MotoGP Group. Now details have emerged about the financial side of the matter and the Federation’s plans.

According to Viegas, speaking to Motociclismo journalist Chechu Lázaro on the sidelines of the FIM Hall of Fame ceremony in Mies, Switzerland, the only punishment will be financial. The contract with the promoter requires teams to compete at every round, with exceptions only for injury or force majeure. The money from the penalty will be distributed as a bonus to those who took part in the Qatar race. Viegas did not clarify whether the payment would go only to the teams or to the entire paddock, including staff, photographers and media.

The French website Paddock-GP says the decision followed a meeting in Madrid between Yamaha chief Paolo Pavesio and MotoGP Group executives, and reports that the money will be redistributed among the teams present at Lusail. The amount of the fine has not been disclosed. The irony is clear: a decision prompted, according to the same source, by the security situation in the Middle East will end up benefiting rivals who agreed to race.

When Yamaha announced its withdrawal on Sunday evening of the Sepang GP, the MotoGP Group said in a statement that “sporting” implications would be handled with the FIM. Before the Grand Prix, there were even rumors of suspensions for the riders, potentially extending into 2027. But the regulations provide for no such measures. “It was Dorna’s press release, not the FIM’s, that was wrong, because it said sporting sanctions could be imposed, which is not true,” Viegas told Spanish newspaper AS, as reported by Paddock-GP.

However, this regulatory gap will not remain. The Federation president told Motociclismo that there is currently no penalty such as a points deduction, but that things will change: “We’re working on putting something in place for the future. Manufacturers can’t decide not to take part in a race, wherever it is, in a major championship like MotoGP.”

The case may not concern Yamaha alone. Paddock-GP reports, without official confirmation, that other teams had considered not travelling to Qatar, but changed their minds in light of the possible financial cost. With the FIM ready to draft new rules, the next manufacturer tempted to withdraw may have to reckon not only with a fine, but also with losing points in the standings.

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