The season opening race, which was to take place this weekend in Losail, Qatar, has been axed due to travel restrictions that have come into force affecting passengers arriving from Italy and other countries.
Qatar travel restrictions were brought into force on March 1 due to the ongoing coronavirus epidemic and the rapidly increasing number of cases in Italy.
Any passengers on direct flights from Italy to Doha will now be quarantined for a minimum of 14 days due to the enforced Qatar travel restrictions.
Italy plays a key role in the championship, with a large number of Italians involved in the sport – both on and off the track – who would have been quarantined until well after race weekend.
The decision was announced on Sunday, March 1, by the FIM, IRTA and Dorna to cancel all MotoGP sessions at the Grand Prix of Qatar, which was to take place from March 6 to 8.
The lightweight and intermediate classes of MotoGP, known as Moto2 and Moto3, may still go ahead this weekend.
Both classes, including all team members and riders, arrived in Qatar last month for preseason testing that took place from February 22 to 24, and again from February 28 to March 1.
The MotoGP class was only involved in preseason testing in Qatar from February 22 to 24, with riders and teams flying back home afterwards.
It was announced late on Monday that the second race of the season, the Thai GP scheduled for March 22, has been postponed by the Thai government due to the coronavirus.
The FIM, IRTA and Dorna are evaluating whether an alternate date is possible for the Thai GP later this year.
For now, it remains unknown when we will see the first race of the MotoGP season.
The next race destination after Qatar and Thailand is the United States for the Grand Prix of the Americas on April 5.
