Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP bosses could turn to Argentina if they have to cancel the Qatar Grand Prix due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, one journalist says.
On Tuesday, the FIA confirmed that the opening round of the World Endurance Championship in Qatar had been postponed after the country was hit by Iranian strikes.
There are just five weeks before MotoGP is due to visit Lusail but it’s unclear whether the event will go ahead. Teams already faced disruption when flying back from the Thailand Grand Prix last weekend.
You’re in charge of MotoGP, what is the one track that you’d immediately add to the calendar?
Could Termas de Rio Hondo replace Lusail on MotoGP calendar?
According to journalist Daryl Ramadier, the Qatar GP will ‘certainly’ not take place as scheduled, with ‘confirmation to come’. He believes there are three options on the table.
‘Talk is circulating’ that MotoGP could return to Termas de Rio Hondo in Argentina only months after the circuit dropped off the calendar. Brazil took the round-two slot on this year’s schedule.
Alternatively, the race in Qatar could be moved to a slot towards ‘the end of the season’, which would also keep the calendar at 22 races. The problem there is that the final eight rounds are divided into four back-to-backs, with only one weekend off in between.
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The schedule isn’t quite as congested in the European summer, but it’s impossible to know when the venue will be safe for such an event. The extreme temperatures in the Gulf are also a consideration.
The final course of action would be to cancel the race entirely and drop to 21 races. That would create a month-long gap between Austin and Jerez, but this scenario might be unavoidable.
Can MotoGP teams afford to race in Argentina?
The Race’s Simon Patterson is also aware of the Argentina rumour, but would be ‘stunned’ if it came to pass.
Ramadier says it would be ‘logistically and economically complicated’, and Patterson adds that teams don’t have the ‘budget’ to make the plan viable. The Qatar weekend was scheduled to take place two weeks after the Brazil-Americas back-to-back.
Formula 1 is due to stop in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia next month, but there are now reports emerging that they could turn to emergency European venues instead. Unlike their MotoGP counterparts, F1 teams have the resources required to pull that off.
For now, Patterson thinks the likeliest outcome is a rescheduled Qatar GP in November, rather than a swap.
MotoGP is already planning a return to Argentina in 2027, this time in the capital city of Buenos Aires.
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