*Updated: Extra 20 minutes of practice has been cancelled. All other sessions delayed until further notice.
MotoGP riders will get an extra 20 minutes of track time to assess track conditions at a wet Losail International Circuit in a change to the qualifying schedule.
No rider has ever ridden at the Losail Circuit under floodlights in the wet, as previously it was thought the glare from the saturated tarmac would cause major visibility issues.
However, a few weeks prior to the season-opening round of the 2017 championship, FIM safety officers Franco Uncini and Loris Caprirossi conducted a private test in wet conditions to evaluate visibility.
The pair deemed the track to be safe to ride in such conditions, though this has not gone over with many of the riders, who are still unconvinced by these findings.
With no track time ever conducted in Qatar in the wet, a 20-minutes circuit evaluation session has been scheduled for 18:00 (GMT+3) followed by a meeting of the Safety Commission, where a decision will then be taken as to whether it will be possible to run at night in the wet.
Contingency plans are currently in place should rain affect Sunday’s proceedings, though it is unclear as to what will happen if qualifying has to be called off this evening.
With weather forecasts predicting a completely dry day tomorrow, it is conceivable that qualifying could be run earlier in the day. If not, the grid order will be taken from the results of free practice.
At present, the revised schedule (which can be seen below) has Moto2 qualifying up first, followed by MotoGP at its original scheduled slot of 19:55 (GMT+3). Moto3 is set to conclude this evening’s running at 21:30 (GMT+3).
This current schedule is subject to change.
