Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP |News details:Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Impatient to Start 2024 MotoGP Season under Lusail Floodlights

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Impatient to Start 2024 MotoGP Season under Lusail Floodlights

Following the Qatar MotoGP Official Test, held a little more than a fortnight ago, Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins are back at the Lusail International Circuit once more, this time to kick off the 2024 MotoGP season in the upcoming weekend with the Grand Prix of Qatar.

Lusail (Qatar), 6th March 2024

The Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team are eagerly awaiting the start of the new MotoGP season, which will take place under the scenic floodlights of the Lusail International Circuit. Fabio Quartararo and Álex Rins are keen to give it their all to start the season off on the right foot.

Quartararo returns to action eager to fight for top results again throughout the 2024 season. Though the Lusail track hasn't always been successful for the Frenchman, he was the 2021 Doha GP winner. He is fully motivated to push to the limit this weekend, as usual, to see if he can set foot on the rostrum again.

Following the Qatar MotoGP Official Test held a little more than a fortnight ago, Rins is feeling more comfortable on the M1 and is excited to start a new chapter with Yamaha this weekend. So far, Rins stood on the podium in Lusail once, after securing third in the 2013 Moto3 race. His best score in the premier class there is fourth place, achieved in 2019 and in the second 2021 Doha race. Unable to participate in the Qatar GP last year, he is eager to make up for it this time round.

Built on the outskirts of Doha, the Lusail International Circuit was added to the MotoGP calendar in 2004 and became the first and only circuit in MotoGP to host a night-time Grand Prix four years later. The 5.4km track has a mix of medium and high-speed corners (six left and ten right). However, the track is best known for its iconic over-a-kilometre-long main straight followed by a steep first corner – a combination that offers plenty of overtakes.

As the Grand Prix of Qatar is the only night race of the year, the schedule of the upcoming race weekend slightly differs from the usual. MotoGP's FP1 will take place on Friday afternoon from 15:45 - 16:30, local track time (GMT +3) followed by the Practice session from 20:00 - 21:00. On Saturday, FP2 will be held from 14:00 - 14:30, the qualifying sessions from 14:40 - 15:20, and the Sprint starts at 19:00. On Sunday, the warm-up is held from 15:40 - 15:50, and the Race starts at 20:00.

Massimo Meregalli

Team Director

After the short winter break, we reached the time to finally start racing again. We are back in Qatar for GP1. Starting the season here again under the floodlights is nice. This, of course, means that we will have a 'different-from-the-usual' schedule again so we can race after sunset, which further adds to Lusail's unique atmosphere. We already had a little taster of what could be possible in this upcoming round during the Qatar Test, and we will commence FP1 based on what we have learned there. Even though we have a general feeling of what the performance level of our competition is like, the races will show how the cards have been dealt this season. Though the off-season was relatively short, we, as MotoGP enthusiasts, have all been impatient to start the 2024 rounds. We can't wait to be back in action!

Fabio Quartararo

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

We got some great information from the Qatar Test, but we also know that we still need to improve, so working on that is our target. This first GP is important: it will show us where we stand, and hopefully we are in a better position than we were last year. I know that Yamaha is working hard behind the scenes, and everyone in the team is super motivated, so I will give it my all, as always, to get the best possible result to start the season off in the best possible way.

Álex Rins

Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Rider

This new chapter with Yamaha officially starts this weekend. I've stayed on in Qatar after the test because the weather predictions were not so good for where I live, and I wanted to be able to train as much as possible and to be in race mode as early as possible. I am super motivated and in general quite curious to see what we can achieve this weekend. It's a relatively new bike and new team, and I didn't race in Qatar last year, which was resurfaced and rebuilt since 2022, so I know I will have to take a bit of time to adapt, but more importantly, I'm just excited to get started.

Qatar GP | Michelin Race Guide