Meetings across the Sepang paddock on Sunday focused on how MotoGP teams and riders should prepare for their arrival in Qatar. Team managers met with MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group executives at 11am before holding further discussions among themselves, while the riders set a 4pm deadline for the organisation to accept responsibility should hostilities in the Middle East escalate.
That condition was not met. Jack Miller was the only rider to openly criticise the decision to proceed with travel to Qatar, and Yamaha subsequently announced that it would not take part in the Qatar Grand Prix. The manufacturer said it had not received sufficient grounds to satisfy its internal policy on sending employees to a war zone.
The decision unsettled MotoGP's organisation. Earlier in the day, MGPSEG chief executive Carmelo Ezpeleta had written to the teams to say that no sufficiently significant reason had been identified to prevent the event from taking place with the necessary safety guarantees and coverage under the Qatari government's arrangements.
Ezpeleta's letter also highlighted the additional insurance funding provided by Qatar and reminded teams and riders of their contractual and regulatory duties. It warned that failure to participate could affect the championship, the FIM, the promoter, broadcasters, sponsors, commercial partners and spectators.
The potential consequences for Yamaha remained unclear, although the seriousness with which the promoter views the withdrawal could lead to financial or sporting sanctions. Riders have also been warned that they could face penalties if they decide not to attend.
As many as five of the 22 full-time riders could be absent in Qatar in addition to Yamaha's four confirmed non-starters. Alex Marquez will miss the race to undergo surgery on his right shoulder, while Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez could have grounds to remain at home after injuries forced them to withdraw from Sepang.
Martin's absence would have major championship implications, as it would effectively hand the title to Marc Marquez, who leads him by 44 points. Fernandez is still recovering from fractures to his right hand, and racing at Lusail could hinder that recovery.
Joan Mir also remains doubtful after returning in Malaysia but retiring before halfway through the main race when the vision problems and dizziness that had kept him out of the previous four rounds resurfaced. He plans to undergo medical checks in Spain. Fermin Aldeguer, meanwhile, has missed the past two rounds because of a right-hand fracture suffered in Indonesia and could argue that he has not fully recovered.
Several riders who can do so have changed their flight arrangements to reach Doha as late as possible. Some are planning to arrive on Thursday afternoon, prompting the organisation to move the official press conference back by four hours, to 8pm. Honda has also revised the travel plans of its Japanese engineers, who will now stop in Japan rather than flying directly from Malaysia to Qatar.
The teams must still determine how to operate at the circuit, particularly those that allowed employees to decide whether to travel. Some have arranged staff rotations to cover absences, while others will distribute the missing employees' duties among the personnel who attend the Grand Prix.
Sources: Autosport.