MotoGP has rescheduled its upcoming Qatar Grand Prix to November, as the global motorsport calendar continues to be affected by the ongoing war in the Middle East.
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On the same day Formula 1 announced the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, MotoGP later on Sunday (AEDT) announced the Qatar Grand Prix, scheduled for the Lusail International Circuit on the same weekend as F1’s race in Bahrain (April 10-12), will be moved to November 6-8 as part of a late-season calendar shuffle that will shoehorn five rounds into the final six weeks of the season.
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Qatar will now be the third and final leg of a triple-header with Australia (October 23-25) – in Phillip Island’s final event before the Australian round of the championship moves to Adelaide from 2027 – and Malaysia (October 30-November 1).
As a result of the change, penultimate round of the season in Portugal has been rescheduled from November 13-15 to November 20-22, while the season finale in Valencia has also been pushed back a week, and will now take place from November 27-29.
In a statement, MotoGP said the decision has been taken “in close coordination with the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), the Promoter and the local authorities in Qatar, with the primary objective of ensuring the safety, wellbeing, and highest quality delivery of the event for all participants and attendees … the revised date has been chosen to ensure minimal disruption to the wider MotoGP schedule.”
The season – which began in Thailand from February 27 to March 1, the Grand Prix won by Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi – will remain at 22 rounds for the second successive campaign, with the resumption of action coming next weekend with the return of the sport to Brazil after a 22-year absence.
The revised 2026 MotoGP calendar
Round 2, Mar 20-22: Brazil (Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna, Goiania)
Round 3, Mar 27-29: USA (Circuit of the Americas, Texas)
Round 4, Apr 24-26: Spain (Circuito de Jerez)
Round 5, May 8-10: France (Le Mans)
Round 6, May 15-17: Catalonia (Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya)
Round 7, May 29-31: Italy (Mugello)
Round 8, Jun 5-7: Hungary (Balaton Park)
Round 9, Jun 19-21: Czechia (Autodromo Brno)
Round 10, Jun 26-28: Netherlands (TT Circuit Assen)
Round 11, Jul 10-12: Germany (Sachsenring)
Round 12, Aug 7-9: Great Britain (Silverstone)
Round 13, Aug 28-30: Aragon (Motorland Aragon, Spain)
Round 14, Sept 11-13: San Marino (Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli)
Round 15, Sept 18-20: Austria (Red Bull Ring, Spielberg)
Round 16, Oct 2-4: Japan (Motegi)
Round 17, Oct 9-11: Indonesia (Mandalika)
Round 18, Oct 23-25: Australia (Phillip Island)
Round 19, Oct 30-Nov 1: Malaysia (Sepang)
Round 20, Nov 6-8: Qatar (Lusail International Circuit)
Round 21, Nov 20-22: Portugal (Portimao)
Round 22, Nov 27-29: Valencia (Circuit Ricardo Tormo)
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