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Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola has taken a firm stance on the Qatar MotoGP Grand Prix, insisting teams should race without hesitation as long as organizers guarantee completely safe conditions.
With three rounds remaining in the season, Aprilia factory duo Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin still maintain outside championship hopes, while Marc Marquez has a genuine opportunity to seal the title under the Qatari floodlights if the race goes ahead as planned. However, the Aprilia riders face a steep deficit—Bezzecchi trails the championship leader by more than 60 points, while Martin is 44 points adrift and continuing to ride through the pain of a broken wrist.
For Rivola, travelling to Qatar is not even up for debate. His view fully aligns with MotoGP bosses, who have consistently maintained over recent weeks that the event will go ahead.
"If the organizers tell us to race, then we go. Once the promoter says it is safe, you simply have to race—there is no need for all this debate. Honestly, I don't understand what all the fuss is about. I want us to go. If someone doesn't want to do their job, they're better off staying at home. That applies to everyone—to you journalists, to me as a team boss, and to the engineers. If the organizer has all the necessary information and clearance and gives us the green light, we just go, end of story," Rivola said in an interview with AS during the Australian GP weekend.
Tensions surrounding the round escalated after Yamaha announced during the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend that they would withdraw from the Qatar race. MotoGP quickly issued a response warning that the Iwata factory outfit could face sporting sanctions as a result. As of now, the FIM has not released an official statement regarding the situation in Qatar or any potential penalties for teams and riders choosing to boycott the event.
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