After the unexpected defection of Malaysia to host the first MotoGP tests of the 2021 season, Dorna Sports has bet everything on Qatar to start the current season.
Activities will therefore begin next week, on Friday March 5, with the shakedown reserved for test pilots, rookies Enea Bastianini, Jorge Martin and Luca Marini, and Aprilia pilots benefiting from concessions. The first MotoGP tests will follow on March 6 and 7, extended to all regular riders.
Three days later, from the 7th to the 12th, the second MotoGP test of the pre-season will take place, followed from the 19th to the 21st by the first Moto2 and Moto3 tests.
Finally, the Qatar Grand Prix will take place on March 28, followed a week later by the Doha Grand Prix which will take place on April 4. That is exactly one month after the start of the tests.
With a full month focused on Qatar, we understand that a last minute defection from this Arabian Gulf state would be catastrophic for the small world of Grands Prix.
To avoid this, well beyond a courtesy visit from Carmelo Ezpeleta to the royal family that rules this country, the Spanish organization has set up and refined what it calls "a bubble" to guarantee as much as possible. Perhaps none of the activities linked to MotoGP will deteriorate the health status of Doha and Qatar.
Roughly speaking, this is the same system that was used last year (and which was to be used in Malaysia), but increased by one level because of the stakes. Here are the highlights.
It all starts with a mandatory application for all members of a restricted paddock. Before even taking the plane, they must register a negative PCR test less than 72 hours old. Upon exiting the plane, they will undergo another PCR test, the results of which they will await isolated in a room of one of the five luxury hotels (Ritz-Carlton, Intercontinental, Sheraton, etc.) having an agreement with the organization.
If the hotels are comfortable and, once the release result has been obtained, their facilities accessible to members of the paddock, the health restrictions are very strict, with for example reserved floors, as well as reserved entrances and elevators to avoid any contact between the world of MotoGP and the outside world.
Then, only travel to the circuit will be authorized using the shuttles provided for this purpose: no tourist activity is authorized for at least one week, and if a team wishes to rent a vehicle, this can only be done through the hotel concerned and with a driver who, in turn, will have to enter the MotoGP bubble.
Finally, and this is undoubtedly the point that could make people cringe, Dorna Sports is very insistent that the MotoGP teams remain in the bubble, and therefore remain on site between tests and Grands Prix in order to Avoid any contact with the outside world.
According to our information, a good number of teams have already planned to return to Europe, unlike the Japanese staff whose limited visas for the Schengen area encourage them to spend as much time as possible outside Europe...
