MotoGP Begins to Feel the Impact of the US–Israel–Iran War

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - In the MotoGP World Championship, the entire paddock relies on air travel for long-haul journeys. With the outbreak of the US-Israel–Iran conflict, it will inevitably impact all MotoGP teams.

The entourage began returning to their home countries after the season-opening round in Thailand last weekend. The next race will be held on 20 March in Goiânia, Brazil. Therefore, all teams have time to return to their respective nations.

The impact is smaller for riders, who mostly flew directly home from Thailand on private jets. However, the situation is different for paddock crews and riders in the smaller categories.

Ducati-Lenovo team manager Davide Tardozzi managed to avoid the disruption. He said he was lucky and had booked flights to Turkey in advance.

One-way economy flights from the holiday destination Dubai currently cost between €3,000 and €6,000 for Central European residents. Nevertheless, travellers are using almost all options to return home, so demand for flights is very high.

Tardozzi added that, based on his experience with the factory Ducati team, they reorganised all flights within the team. Members were split across various alternative flights. All team members were able to depart Thailand on Monday.

The same applied to the KTM team, which faced similar problems. Some team members had to be flown to Milan on a special charter organised for MotoGP personnel on Monday night. From there, it is easy to continue the journey to major European cities.

If the war continues, it is not impossible that it will disrupt flights for teams and riders. In addition, logistics shipments are also likely to be affected.