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MotoGP working on rescheduling Qatar GP amid Iran war
MotoGP organisers have been forced to search for options due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East
Oriol Puigdemont
Published: Mar 14, 2026, 11:01 AM
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Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
The conflict involving the United States-Israel and Iran has led the organisers of the MotoGP World Championship to begin working on postponing the Qatar Grand Prix (MotoGP) and reconsidering the final stretch of the calendar.
The race at Lusail International Circuit still appears as the fourth round of the season and was originally scheduled for the weekend of April 11–12. However, the war that erupted in the Persian Gulf at the end of February has spread, affecting several countries in the region.
Several Iranian drones struck Hamad International Airport and a number of buildings across the city of Doha. As a result, MotoGP organisers have been forced to explore options to relocate the event, with the aim of moving it toward the final stages of the season.
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Motorsport.com understands that the most likely option is to stage the race on the outskirts of Doha during the weekend of November 7–8. If the change is confirmed — something expected in the coming days — it would have several logistical implications and require adjustments to the dates of two other races.
Under this scenario, Qatar would become the final round of a triple-header alongside the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix (October 25) and the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix (November 1).
The weekend following the race at Lusail, November 14–15, had initially been reserved for the Portuguese Motorcycle Grand Prix in Portimão. However, that event would move back by one week, to November 21–22 — the slot originally scheduled for the championship finale in Valencia.
This change would push the season finale back by seven days, to the final weekend of November (November 28–29). Consequently, the official collective test with the 2027 prototypes would take place on Monday, November 30, or Tuesday, December 1.
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
MotoGP Sports Entertainment, the series’ commercial rights holder acquired last year by Liberty Media, typically tries to exhaust all options to relocate a race that cannot be held as planned before resorting to cancellation, given the complications such a move creates at every level.
Coincidentally, Liberty Media is facing an even more delicate situation in the Formula 1 World Championship, which was scheduled to visit Bahrain on April 12 and Saudi Arabia the following week. In both cases, cancellation currently appears to be the most likely outcome — a decision that would reduce the championship calendar from 24 events to 22.
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