Qatar MotoGP grid could shrink to 13 riders after Yamaha withdrawal

A race that counts for the title will be run with a depleted field, so the result may be shaped by who is absent as much as by who is fastest. Riders and teams still do not know what sanctions Yamaha faces, and the final entry list depends on medical clearances that have not been given.

Yamaha withdraws four bikes from Lusail

Yamaha announced on Sunday 1 November that neither its factory team nor its Pramac operation would travel to Qatar. The manufacturer said its company-wide travel restrictions for the Middle East remained in force.

Yamaha said it "has not identified sufficient grounds to change its existing company-wide travel restrictions" and that the decision was independent of MotoGP's measures. The company said it intends to race again in Portugal.

The decision removes Fabio Quartararo, Álex Rins, Jack Miller and Augusto Fernández from the entry list. Fernández had been standing in for the injured Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, whose rookie season ended with shoulder surgery.

Pramac's Moto2 team is still making the trip. Izan Guevara is 3.5 points off the Moto2 lead.

MotoGP said it was disappointed and warned of contractual and sporting consequences, with any sporting sanctions left to the FIM. No specific penalty has been announced. In the Sepang paddock there was talk of fines, points deductions and even race bans for the last two rounds, but nothing has been confirmed.

A grid that could fall to 13 riders

MotoGP's regular field has 22 entries. Five are already ruled out: Yamaha's four plus Álex Márquez, who needs surgery on the plate in his right collarbone after finishing third in Malaysia. That leaves 17 potential participants before replacements.

Four more riders face fitness questions. Jorge Martín is recovering from the wrist he broke in Australia, Raúl Fernández has a fractured finger, Fermín Aldeguer a hand injury and Joan Mir pulled out of the Malaysian Grand Prix with dizziness.

If all four miss the race and no replacements are entered, the grid could fall to 13 motorcycles. That would beat the previous low of 14 entrants, at the 2011 Australian Grand Prix.

Grande Prêmio reported on 3 November that the 13 figure is a projection, not a confirmed entry list, and that late clearances or replacements could raise it. MotoGP News went further and said only 12 riders might start. Fox Sports reported that Mir will not be on the grid at all, while Grande Prêmio listed him among the riders awaiting clearance.

Márquez arrives with match point

Márquez leads Jorge Martín by 44 points and Marco Bezzecchi by 67 with three rounds remaining. He won the Malaysian Grand Prix and finished second in the Sprint behind Pedro Acosta.

The swing has been large. Márquez was 102 points behind before the Italian Grand Prix in May and has won seven races since Mugello. Martín's wrist fracture in Australia, and his aborted comeback in Malaysia, turned a tight fight into a 44-point gap.

There are 111 points still available across the final three events. To clinch at Lusail, Márquez needs a 74-point lead, so he must gain at least 30 points on Martín over the Qatar weekend. He must also outscore Bezzecchi by eight points.

If Martín scores nothing, a Sprint win and second place on Sunday would give Márquez a 32-point gain and the title. A double victory would take his lead to 81. An eighth premier-class title would move him past Valentino Rossi's seven, and a tenth across all categories would edge him ahead of Rossi's nine.

Ducati's Luigi Dall'Igna told AS he had "always believed this" about the comeback and would not call the title yet. "There are still three races to go and, honestly, anything could still happen," he said.

Riders split over the race

Nineteen riders signed a letter questioning the decision to proceed, according to reporting attributed to Spanish journalist Mela Chércoles. Marco Bezzecchi, Ai Ogura and Johann Zarco did not sign it. Nine signatories have told their teams they intend to travel.

Jack Miller, one of the four Yamaha-contracted riders now staying home, was the most direct voice after Sepang. "Nineteen riders don't want to travel, and there are many more people in the paddock who share the same concerns," he said.

Riders had asked for details on evacuation arrangements, insurance cover and whether airspace restrictions could affect their departure. MotoGP held meetings with teams and riders during the Malaysian weekend and presented updated security assessments.

Márquez plans to arrive in Qatar on Thursday 5 November, one day before practice begins. He has not backed a boycott. TNT Sports, the UK broadcaster, will not send its team to Qatar and will cover the race from the UK.

MotoGP has threatened to bar any rider who skips Qatar from the final two rounds in Portugal and Valencia. The race was moved from April to November because of the security situation, and MotoGP News reported that the series fears the financial cost of cancelling.

What happens next at Lusail

The Qatar Grand Prix is scheduled for 6-8 November at Lusail International Circuit. The Sprint is due to run 11 laps and the Grand Prix 22.

Any sanction against Yamaha must be decided by the FIM, and none has been confirmed. The next round after Qatar is Portugal on 20-22 November.