Fermin Aldeguer will travel to Doha with the aim of returning at the Qatar Grand Prix. Gresini Racing has confirmed that its Ducati-contracted rider will make the trip, but his participation is not final because he still needs clearance to race. His planned return would strengthen a field that is already at risk of becoming MotoGP’s smallest in many years.

Aldeguer was injured in a crash at the Indonesian Grand Prix and underwent surgery soon afterwards. He consequently missed the Australian and Malaysian rounds. Iker Lecuona covered his place at both events and will remain with Gresini in Qatar, this time replacing Alex Marquez, who is undergoing surgery for a shoulder injury.

Several places are still uncertain

Yamaha has decided not to send its teams to Lusail. Trackhouse has confirmed that Raul Fernandez will try to race, although he must first be reassessed for a broken finger. Jorge Martin remains doubtful while dealing with a wrist fracture from a crash at Phillip Island, and Aprilia has not said whether Lorenzo Savadori will be available to replace either rider.

Joan Mir’s participation is also uncertain. Illness symptoms that kept him out for four rounds earlier in the season have returned, and Jake Dixon is regarded as a possible Honda replacement. If the four doubtful riders do not race and replacements cannot be installed, the grid could fall to 13 starters. In 2011, 14 riders started the Australian Grand Prix, the lowest comparable figure in more than 15 years.

The event itself is not guaranteed

There is a separate question over whether the Grand Prix will take place as scheduled. Riders’ reluctance to travel to Doha has been intensified by the deterioration of the regional security situation. A claim has also circulated that hotels used by MotoGP are included on a list of possible targets, although the credibility of that threat is unknown. Aldeguer’s planned comeback is therefore welcome sporting news, but it does not remove the wider uncertainty surrounding Qatar.