MotoGP confirms postponement of Qatar Grand Prix due to conflict in Middle East

[p]The Lusail International Circuit was ‌set to host the fourth ‌round of the 2026 championship from April ‌10-12 but it has now been rescheduled ‌for November 8, organisers said in a statement.[/p][p]The US-Israeli strikes on Iran have affected ‌countries throughout the Gulf, disrupting travel ⁠in some ‌of the world's busiest transit hubs and forcing ​several sporting events to be cancelled.[/p][p][b]"MotoGP confirms that the Qatar Grand ​Prix, originally scheduled for April, has been postponed to November 8 due to the ⁠ongoing geopolitical ​situation in the Middle East,"[/b] the statement said.[/p][p][b]"Following extensive scenario planning and calendar analysis, the revised date has been chosen ‌to ensure minimal disruption to the wider MotoGP schedule."[/b][/p][embed guid="e2940fe9-8a66-4c9c-b926-491f024e65d0" url="https://x.com/MotoGP/status/2033094655387066387" social-type="twitter" /][p]The Portuguese Grand Prix will now take place on November 22 and the season finale in Valencia will move to November 29, organisers added.[/p][p][b]Aprilia's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bezzecchi-marco/EXzAZEse/"]Marco Bezzecchi[/a] leads the championship after the first round in Thailand. The next two ‌races will be held in Brazil (March ​20-22) and the United States (March 27-29).[/b][/p][p]The conflict ‌has also affected Formula 1, with the sport announcing on Saturday races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia would not take place in April.[/p]