The Qatar Grand Prix, scheduled for April 10-12, has been postponed to November as the US and Israel continue their war against Iran.
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Published March 15, 2026
The Qatar Grand Prix, scheduled for next month, has been postponed due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the sport’s governing body has announced.
“MotoGP can confirm that the Qatar Grand Prix, originally scheduled for April, has been postponed to November 8th due to the continuing geopolitical situation in the Middle East,” it announced on Sunday.
Lusail International Circuit was scheduled to host the fourth round of the 2026 championship from April 10 to 12, but it has been postponed to November 8, organizers announced in a statement.
“Following extensive scenario planning and calendar analysis, the revised dates have been selected to minimize disruption to the wider MotoGP schedule,” the statement said.
The Portuguese Grand Prix will be held on November 22nd, with the season finale in Valencia rescheduled to November 29th, organizers added.
Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi leads the championship after the first race in Thailand. The next two races will be held in Brazil (March 20-22) and the United States (March 27-29).
Earlier, F1 and its governing body, the FIA, announced that grand prix races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia would not be held in April due to security concerns related to the Iran war.
After the United States and Israel launched a series of attacks on Iran, both countries have been hit by Iranian retaliatory attacks.
The announcement was made in Shanghai ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.
F1 announced: “Due to the continuing situation in the Middle East, the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs will not be held in April.” “Several alternatives were considered, but ultimately it was decided in April that no alternatives would take place.”
F1 races were scheduled for April 12th in Bahrain and April 19th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“This was a difficult decision, but unfortunately given the current situation in the Middle East, it was the right one at this stage,” F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said.
“The FIA always puts the safety and well-being of our communities and colleagues first. After careful consideration, we have taken this decision with that responsibility firmly in mind,” said FIA President Mohamed Ben Sulayem.
The FIA has not explicitly ruled out rescheduling the race and, like F1, did not use the words “cancelled” or “postponed” when announcing that the series would not be held in Bahrain or Saudi Arabia next month.
