Qatar Grand Prix to move to November, fan reaction mixed.
Due to ongoing tensions in the Middle East, several motorsport series have been cancelling events across the region. The opening round of the World Endurance Championship in Qatar has been scrapped, as have the Formula 1 races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
MotoGP has now followed suit, confirming on Sunday that the Qatar Grand Prix will shift from April to November. The move means a reshuffling of the calendar, something not all fans are pleased about.
The rescheduled race slot puts Qatar at the tail end of a triple-header with Australia and Malaysia. To accommodate this change, the final two rounds in Portimao and Valencia have also been pushed back by a week to 20-22 November and 27-29 November.
MotoGP had reportedly considered moving Qatar even later into December, which would have extended the season into that month for the first time ever. But F1’s schedule made that plan unworkable because of track modifications needed after their own event on November 29th.
Fans want MotoGP to call off the Qatar Grand Prix
Supporters voiced their disappointment over the schedule changes on social media, pointing out how much harder it’s made things for spectators. Some fans might now miss out on the Portugal and Valencia rounds due to the new dates, while attendance in Qatar is typically low anyway.
A post on Reddit captured some of that frustration: “They’re moving two races, causing enormous difficulties to the organisers and the fans that were planning the trip to go watch them, all in order to not cancel a race that always had empty grandstands. Nice.”
Another added: “Bloody stupid idea, just cancel it. There’s no way anyone is flying into Qatar this year let alone racing there. Needless disruption of Portugal & Valencia races to hold hope for something that is not going to happen.”
Qatar has been a significant financial backer of MotoGP since its inclusion on the calendar in 2004. One user remarked: “Qatar money is too much to pass by,” while another simply stated: “Just cancel it. Anything will change.”
X (formerly Twitter) users were also critical: “Why don’t they just cancel it and avoid the hassle? Delaying Portimao and Valencia to almost December seems like madness to me. It’ll be colder, and there will be fans who already have tickets and accommodation booked,” while another wrote: “Just cancel it.”
Why MotoGP decided not to replace the Qatar Grand Prix
Fans have voiced their frustration over the new date for the Qatar GP, but MotoGP never seriously considered replacing it on the calendar.
Carmelo Ezpeleta dismissed any notion of dropping Qatar altogether, stating instead that the race would be pushed back to a later slot in the season.
There had been some talk about Argentina stepping in as a replacement, but with Lusail now set for November, those discussions have come to an end.
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