Dubai: MotoGP deputy CEO Carlos Ezpeleta has defended the decision to stage the Qatar Grand Prix despite concerns from riders about travelling to the Gulf amid the conflict involving Iran, while admitting Yamaha's decision to withdraw from the event was unexpected.
Ezpeleta explained that MotoGP's decision was guided by official advice from the Qatari government and embassies with a significant presence in the paddock.
The race, originally scheduled for April, was moved to November 6-8 because of the conflict. Ezpeleta said organisers would have been prepared to postpone or cancel the event again had the security situation deteriorated.
"We can unequivocally say that it was the right decision," Ezpeleta told Reuters. "Obviously, it was normal that the riders showed their concerns and I think that we mitigated those and confronted those to the best that we possibly could.
"It's just important in today's day and age to follow official information and real intelligence versus speculation on the media and disinformation, which I think ultimately was what brought a lot of noise around the event itself."
A number of major sporting events in Saudi Arabia, covering football, tennis, golf and cycling, have been cancelled or postponed in recent weeks following attacks on Riyadh's international airport last month, which killed at least 12 people.
