Luca Marini will not race in the Qatar Grand Prix after withdrawing following the morning warm-up because of ongoing fatigue. Honda HRC Castrol said that the team and its rider had chosen to concentrate on the final two rounds of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship. The decision leaves the Grand Prix with 16 riders.

The withdrawal comes soon after Marini returned to competition. He missed Phillip Island because of a virus, then came back in Malaysia the following weekend. In Qatar he qualified 14th and finished 13th in the Sprint, but he will not complete the race weekend.

Honda was already without Joan Mir, whose fatigue-related vision problems returned during his comeback at Sepang. Jake Dixon has replaced him, while Pecco Bagnaia was also ruled out of the Grand Prix after suffering an injury in the Sprint.

Yamaha did not take part in the weekend because of company-wide travel restrictions for the Middle East. As a result, 18 riders began the event before the later changes to the Grand Prix entry list. Maverick Vinales remained officially listed despite continued shoulder problems and was due to start from last place.