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F1 owner Liberty Media faces rider revolt over Qatar Grand Prix safety fears
It’s not just F1 dealing with concerns over whether the season finale races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi can go ahead, MotoGP has a very similar issue.
The situation is the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has made hosting races in the region tricky.
Many FIA-sanctioned events have already decided not to take the chance, including the Dakar Rally after its January slot in Saudi Arabia was cancelled.
F1 has already cancelled the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for 2026, which was set to take place in April, while the Bahrain Grand Prix at a similar time was moved to October and in the safer region of Malaysia.
Now the spotlight is on the final two races of the season in Qatar and Abu Dhabi, due to take place on November 29 and December 6 respectively.
There are concerns in the paddock over the safety of the two races, but F1 president Stefano Domencali is still sure they will go ahead, and GPFans understands F1 continue to monitor the situation in the Middle East to ensure they can take the best course of action.
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MotoGP riders have Qatar issues
But F1’s cousin MotoGP, the premier class of grand prix motorcycling racing, will also be travelling to Qatar next month.
In fact, the Qatar Grand Prix falls on November 8 – a rapidly approaching date making it more and more likely the race will go ahead.
According to Autosport, the MotoGP riders organised a meeting between themselves over their concerns for racing in Qatar.
In Indonesia recently, 75 per cent of the riders opposed racing in Qatar, but a compromise has been attempted following a meeting at the Australian Grand Prix last weekend.
Guarantee requests in writing have been made to Liberty Media, who own MotoGP as well as F1, to enable them to go racing, risking a rider revolt if these are not met.
According to the report, these include having a paddock evacuation plan should it be needed, having accommodation costs covered if airspace is closed and repatriation insurance should the Middle East conflict increase while they are at the race.
These requests were put to MotoGP deputy CEO Carlos Ezpeleta on the Friday before the race at Phillip Island.
MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (MGPSEG) executives claim they have solid guarantees from the Qatari government that the race weekend can go ahead safely.
GPFans have contacted Liberty Media for comment.
MotoGP riders prioritise stronger riders union
It remains to be seen how and if the riders’ actions in MotoGP affect their F1 counterparts.
But the whole issue has strengthened MotoGP riders’ belief they need to have a stronger union to protect their interests.
Alex Marquez said: “I think a series of situations have arisen that have made us all understand that [the association] is necessary.
“We are aware of it and understand that it is for our own good. In 2023 there was an attempt to get it started, but now we have all seen that we need it.”
“It won’t happen here, but we will discuss it again when we return to Europe,” Francesco Bagnaia added.
“The unity of the riders is an important thing. We began thinking about this union in 2023. Although afterwards, for one reason or another, we did not make it happen. Now is the right time to take it up again, and for the riders to have more of a voice.”
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Donald Trump ally Ted Cruz was met with a chorus of boos from F1 fans during the podium ceremony at the 2026 US Grand Prix on Sunday.
The Republican senator appeared on the podium at Circuit of the Americas in Austin to present Kimi Antonelli with the winner’s trophy following the Mercedes driver’s dominant victory.
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But while the 20-year-old world champion elect Antonelli had plenty to celebrate after securing his ninth win of the 2026 season, Cruz received a very different reaction from spectators.
As the Texas senator was introduced during the trophy presentation, loud boos could be heard, with the reaction continuing as he handed Antonelli his prize.
The atmosphere changed as the Italian raised his trophy, with spectators cheering the race winner.
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Cruz, who has represented Texas in the US Senate since 2013, is a prominent Republican and supporter of President Trump.
His appearance at the post-race ceremony quickly attracted attention, with footage of the crowd’s reaction circulating on social media.
Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft also acknowledged the boos during the broadcast, referring to the upcoming US midterm elections.
The incident came in Cruz’s home state, where the senator has previously faced criticism and opposition over his political positions.
Despite the reception, Cruz later described his visit to the Grand Prix positively in a social media post, congratulating Antonelli on his victory and saying it had been an honour to present the trophy.
Kimi Antonelli closes in on F1 world championship
The podium scenes followed another commanding performance from Antonelli, who started from pole position and controlled the race throughout. The win leaves him on the brink of becoming the sport’s youngest ever world champion.
The Mercedes star could wrap up the title at the Mexican Grand Prix, where a ninth-place finish would be enough to guarantee him the crown regardless of his rivals’ results.
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Cadillac F1 boss refuses to confirm Bottas and Perez 2027 contracts as rival drivers make contact
Cadillac have hinted that their drivers for the 2027 season are not quite decided yet as rivals seek to grab an F1 seat.
For the brand new American team’s first season in the sport, the experienced duo of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas were chosen as the driver pairing to take them into the campaign.
It was thought that both drivers signed multi-deals, meaning they would at least race for Cadillac in the 2027 season too.
The 2026 season has been a tough one though for Cadillac, who brutally axed team boss Graeme Lowdon in August, replacing him with Marcin Budkowski as they still aim to score their first point.
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Esteban Ocon looking for F1 drive
Curiously, this has thrown Cadillac’s 2027 lineup into doubt, especially with Esteban Ocon on his way out of the Haas team at the end of the season.
This has linked the Frenchman to a Cadillac drive given he worked with Budkowski for a year at Renault (now Alpine) in 2020.
Ocon only has one other route back into F1 aside from Cadillac and that is at Racing Bulls where he is not under consideration.
Commenting on the Ocon speculation, Budkowski told a press conference on Friday: “Esteban Ocon? Well, look, as a team principal, and I’m sure it’s the same with my colleagues, you’re getting calls and contacts from every driver or driver manager that is on the market.
“So, there are a number of drivers and managers who have contacted me. I’m not going to say who it is or who it isn’t, but pretty much all of them that are on the market have been in touch, as you’d expect.
“But yes, I think it’s the last place here, as you can imagine, where I would communicate anything on driver line-up. My marketing and communications department would kill me if I did that.
Cadillac not certain on 2027 F1 drivers
Asked to clarify Perez and Bottas’s contracts for 2027, he added: “Again, this is the last place I would comment on driver contracts, and in general, I think it’s not something that is done in the press.
“It’s something which will be done by official releases from the team when the time is right.”
Although Bottas has achieved Cadillac’s best result with a 13th place finish at the second race of the season in China, Perez has finished above the Finn at every other race this season where they have both finished.
By this metric, Perez has impressed and Budkowski admits he has been a crucial to the team, saying: For a driver like Checo who has a huge amount of experience and a number of races, I can tell you he doesn’t behave or drive like a driver who is anywhere close to retirement.
Perez pushing Cadillac hard
“He’s pushing very hard behind the wheel. He’s pushing us very hard also behind the scenes, in the debrief rooms and outside, and regularly texting me and other members of the team to push us to improve.
“He’s hungry, he’s motivated, and that’s actually really good to see. He does it in his own style. We have two drivers: one is more hot and one is probably more cold, if we could say, from there.
“And they both push the team in their own particular ways, but Checo is, yes, pushing us very hard.
“And just looking at the way his body language on the grid, when he gets his helmet on and he gets in the car, he’s getting ready for a fight. There’s a lot of fire, there’s a lot of motivation there, so it’s really impressive for a driver of this experience.
“And at the same time, we’re getting his feedback and his input in terms of, as an experienced driver. So yes, he’s a very good combination.”
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I’ve been a massive F1 fan since the mid 1990s and continue to study the history of the sport long before that. As an experienced motor sport reporter covering F1, MotoGP and the LeMans 24 Hour race, being part of GPFans has allowed me to work with a diverse team with all sorts of different backgrounds in watching the sport and given me a greater appreciation of F1.
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