The final half hour of the #QatarTest was something different, with the decision having been taken to test the venue in the wet. After last season saw rain affect qualifying and, eventually, cancel it altogether with the grid for the race formed from practice, the question of racing in the desert rain was a hot topic.
So, on Saturday evening at the conclusion of testing, an army of trucks headed out on track to cover the venue in water, with one at every corner. After soaking the whole 5.4km of Losail – one of the longest tracks in the World Championship – the grid then headed back out of pitlane to investigate the conditions, with the key question one of the combination of floodlights and the wet track.
One thing that can’t be tested, however, is rain falling from the sky as well as water on the track surface – something also mentioned by MotoGP™ Safety Advisor Loris Capirossi in his debrief following the foray.