MotoGP has received a wave of criticism for its determination to keep the Qatar Grand Prix on the calendar, an area immersed in an armed conflict since the beginning of the year, even though the event was ultimately held in complete normality.

Tensions increased as the date of the event at Lusail approached, initially scheduled for mid-April and postponed because of the war in Iran.

The disagreement between the majority of the riders, who were reluctant to travel to Qatar, the teams and the organisation reached its highest point of tension in Malaysia, where the riders went as far as putting forward an ultimatum which they did not follow through on after being warned of the financial and sporting sanctions they would face if they failed to fulfil their contractual obligations to the promoter.

Yamaha's decision not to authorise its employees to make the trip further worsened an atmosphere which, once in Doha, became one of absolute normality, apart from the increase in security checks at the circuit entrances.

On Sunday in Qatar, Carlos Ezpeleta, Deputy CEO of MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group (MGPSEG), held a round table with journalists who travelled to Lusail, including Autosport.

He assured all, as he had repeatedly done in the previous weeks in front of the riders and anyone who questioned him, that it was safe to race, judging by the commitments made by the country's government: "Of course we had the maximum guarantees to be able to come and hold the grand prix. Otherwise, we would not be here."

Despite reiterating his position and coming through a delicate situation in terms of image unscathed, Ezpaleta wanted to look at the positive side of what had happened, in an attempt to avoid so much wear and tear if a similar scenario occurs again in the future.

"It is true that we have been more exposed than other sports that have also been in this area, and that has been caused by the noise there has been. It is something we have to control in the future. I say that quite clearly. Other sports have come here, but they have not generated so much uproar. We probably need to work better with the teams and the riders," Ezpeleta explained.

During the Malaysian Grand Prix, the Spaniard visited Doha, where he took part in a conference and also met with the local authorities, who committed to assuming all the responsibility and costs arising from a possible escalation of instability in the area.

"We had all the assurances from the local government, the promoter, that the event could be held safely. With contingency plans prepared in case something happened. Therefore, we have done all the work that needed to be done, except, probably, in the area of communication with the teams. You learn from everything, and we will try to do better in the future," added Ezpaleta.

Having spent almost a week in Doha, going about his normal life, the biggest platform for criticism came from certain social media profiles.

"Those of you who have been here over the last few days can probably answer this question. It is impossible to detect in what ways this Qatar is different from the one a year ago, or two years ago. Clearly, all the security protocols at the circuit have been increased, partly because of the noise there has been. Also because of our requirements and those of the teams. But, apart from that, there has been no difference compared with previous years. There have even been more people and more families in certain areas. We believe it has been a completely normal weekend," he stressed.

One of the groups that put the most pressure on the championship not to hold this Grand Prix was the riders. However, Ezpeleta does not believe the disagreement will mark a turning point in the relationship between the championship and its riders.

"The riders have always been the protagonists of MotoGP, and they will continue to be," he said. "We carry out a self-assessment of everything. There are things we will have to improve, things the teams will have to improve, and others the riders will have to improve. It is clear that, because of the noise created around the event, we exposed ourselves unnecessarily. And that is what we have to correct."

Ezpeleta did not comment when asked what kind of punishment Yamaha would face for having decided not to take part in the event.

"This is a commercial contract that we cannot discuss publicly," he said. "We will talk to Yamaha and from there, if anything is decided, it will be communicated. But, as of today, our relationship with them is commercial and, as we always say, we neither want to be involved in the sporting side nor are we involved in it. That is a matter for the FIM."