MotoGP: The final countdown begins for Qatar test

Sepang certainly gave us a tantalising first glimpse of the season ahead, and now it’s time to up the ante even further as Losail International Circuit in Qatar welcomes MotoGP for the second and final preseason test of 2019.

Final decisions on engines, aero fairings and more await – and there’s the chance to compare data from Malaysia, as well as set up for the VisitQatar Grand Prix. It’s three full days on track, but plenty to get done.
One of the biggest talking points ahead of the test and, undoubtedly after, is the return to action of Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team).

After breaking his scaphoid near the end of the winter break, the Spaniard was forced to sit out Sepang and lose valuable time on the Honda, but now he’ll be able to get another three days of familiarisation under his belt as he joins new teammate Marc Marquez on track.

Marquez himself is also a talking point but this season not just for win rate – the reigning Champion put in a much lower lap load in Malaysia than he often has at testing in the past, and although he was pretty quick, he said his shoulder is still not 100% and he’s not riding in his usual style. How much further along will the seven-time World Champion be in his recovery by the Qatar Test and, after that, the race weekend?
Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda Castrol) was actually the fastest Honda at Sepang.

The Brit, despite also still being on a road to recovery after breaking his ankle at Phillip Island last season, impressed on his return and managed a solid 60+ laps on the final day. He’s another who will be expecting improvements in his condition for the Qatar Test.

His team-mate Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda Idemitsu) also had a positive Malaysia and, after topping the Jerez test at the end of last season, was a consistent presence in the top 10. Now on the bike that Marquez rode to the 2018 crown, the season is looking bright for the sophomore and he’ll be one to watch.

It wasn’t actually reigning Champions Honda who stole the headlines at Sepang, however – it was Borgo Panigale’s Italian armada. Ducati machinery locked out the fastest four in Malaysia and Mission Winnow Ducati Team’s new arrival Danilo Petrucci was the man on top.

Qatar will be another chance for him to evaluate an aero fairing he crashed on as well as everything else, but it will also be a chance for teammate Andrea Dovizioso to turn the tables.

The 2018 Qatar GP winner was the fourth quickest and seemed happy, now we’ll see if Italian machinery can repeat the feat at Losail.

And then there’s Yamaha. Monster Energy MotoGP’s Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi were both pretty positive in Sepang, but the former a little more so than the latter.

Vinales praised better consistency in the data from the 2019 M1, as well as improvements in acceleration they’ve managed to find. Rossi said it was more mixed, but the mood was definitely an upturn – with the ‘Doctor’ citing specifically the good atmosphere and methodology for the Iwata marque. Team Director Massimo Meregalli also had a positive addition, stating both riders were choosing similar directions in development.

At Team Suzuki Ecstar, there also seems to be a lot of positivity. Alex Rins was a constant threat on the timesheets on the first two days in Malaysia and the Hamamatsu factory have been working hard to build on their stellar 2018. And rookie Joan Mir, after two more anonymous days at least in terms of laptime, moved up the timesheets a little on Day 3 – but is he showing his hand? Or will that only come when testing’s over and the race weekend begins?

Three days, a new venue and lots left to test and learn ahead of the season, the Qatar Test will give us a lot more answers but undoubtedly another few exciting questions ahead of the first race weekend of the year. Are Repsol Honda ready despite their injuries? Can the rookies run with the pack? Will Suzuki and Yamaha prove key threats for the win this year?

From February 23 to 25, we’ll start finding a few more answers at the Qatar Test.