Yamaha will not travel to Qatar for MotoGP race

Yamaha withdraw from the Qatar MotoGP race – could there be implications for Formula 1, with two races currently scheduled in the Middle East to end the season? Yamaha said it will return to competition for the last two races in Portugal and Valencia Japanese MotoGP team Yamaha have withdrawn from the Qatar Grand Prix because of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The event at the Lusail International Circuit is set to take place on 6-8 November, having been postponed from April. MotoGP is going ahead with the race, despite reports 19 of 22 riders have signed a letter raising concerns, external about competing in Qatar during the US-Israeli war on Iran.

In February, the United States and Israel launched air strikes against Iran, which in return fired missiles at Israel, and at other countries in the region with links to the US. Israel and the US are both going to the polls – the consequences will be global How could Israel break election deadlock? Here are four scenarios Yamaha said it has "not identified sufficient grounds to change its existing company-wide travel restrictions" on travelling to the Middle East, with the Japanese government advising its citizens against non-essential travel to the region. MotoGP said it is "disappointed" by Yamaha's decision, which it says does not reflect the