MotoGP will officially cancel the 2026 Qatar Grand Prix, according to paddock sources cited by The Race, citing ongoing geopolitical instability in the Middle East. The race, originally scheduled for April and later moved to November, was already in flux after regional hostilities forced a calendar reshuffle. No replacement event will be added, reducing the season to 21 rounds.
The cancellation removes 37 championship points from the table, where Aprilia’s Jorge Martin holds a 31-point lead over teammate Marco Bezzecchi. The gap between Bezzecchi and the chasing pack—Ai Ogura, Marc Márquez, and Fabio Di Giannantonio—shrinks to just 10 points, potentially altering the title race’s dynamics. Márquez, who has historically underperformed at Qatar and the proposed Sepang replacement, stands to benefit from the shift.
The conflict’s ripple effects extend to next year’s calendar, which MotoGP deputy CEO Carlos Ezpeleta says remains unsettled. “We’re probably a couple or three weeks away from announcing” the 2027 schedule, he told media at the Aragon Grand Prix, pending resolution of regional tensions.
