Some in the paddock had called for the premier-class race, which is run under the floodlights at the Losail International Circuit, to be brought forward from its 8pm (5m GMT) time slot on March 10 to avoid the potential risk of dropping track temperatures. This came into focus after a number of riders crashed towards the end of the final day of pre-season testing at the same venue, when the temperature of the surface was below 16 degrees Celsius. Honda rider Jorge Lorenzo was one of the riders to fall and argued for changing the start time in the aftermath, insisting the race could turn “dangerous” under the planned start time. “I would like to speak with the ones who decide the schedule of the race because if we can put it earlier, it would be much better for the safety of the riders,” Lorenzo said. "Hopefully we can modify this by half an hour, one hour, as much as possible because [if] we are unlucky to be racing on a very cold night, it will be dangerous." Lorenzo even phoned up Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta to relay his concerns, and Ezpeleta subsequently suggested to media that he was open to reverting to a 7pm start, which would be analogous to the year before. However, it has now been confirmed that the weekend schedule for the 2019 season opener will remain as it is. The race is set to begin at 8pm local time, with second free practice on Friday and qualifying on Saturday also kicking off at the same hour. It is understood, however, that a tweak to the schedule could be back on the agenda during the race weekend itself if the temperatures prove too low.<doc-sep>The 2019 Qatar Grand Prix will begin, as planned, at 8pm local time on Sunday evening. As several leading riders explained on Thursday , 'most' wanted the start time moved to 7pm, the same time as last season, to lower the risk of slippery dew forming on the track surface. The issue was discussed during Friday evening's Safety Commission meeting where 'the riders pushed for 7pm', but it seems it was too late to change, presumably due to TV scheduling. "Most of the riders preferred 7pm," confirmed reigning world champion Marc Marquez. "Today was perfect conditions but you never know. Yesterday was very, very cold. So, most of the riders prefer 7pm, but they said that 8pm would be the race time. "Last year was 7pm and they said maybe next year will be 7pm again, but this year it will be 8pm." The Repsol Honda rider, fastest on Friday, added: "Yes, we pushed, all the riders pushed for 7pm. "But they said we rode very fast today and with not many crashes. But today was a very nice day, on Sunday we will see…" Fellow Honda rider Cal Crutchlow warned: "Today was perfect at 8 o’clock, but tomorrow could be [like] light rain. As we saw in the Moto2 test last week it was 17 degrees at 8 o’clock. In our test there were twelve crashes after 7:30. "Last week after the test, I was told it couldn’t be moved... 100 percent [I'd want a 7pm start]. I’d vote for a quarter to 7 just to make sure. But then I’d probably complain it was too hot for the front tyre!" The Englishman added: "Listen, I love this [night] race, I love Qatar and the way they do it. I think it’s a good spectacle. We always have good racing, as you’ve seen from the last couple of years. "But if the dew on the track is as it can be, there won’t be any finishers. No matter how fast or slow you ride, there will be no finishers. You’ll see..." Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso felt the issue should have been addressed earlier (although Jorge Lorenzo made his concerns clear after the recent test ). "I think it is almost impossible to change the [time] two days before the race. I think it is very difficult, for many reasons," Dovi said. "If we really want to change something then we need to think and speak on time. Every day the condition is different and the humidity starts at a different time: now it is perfect and tomorrow it could be very bad. "It’s true that if you race at 7 then there is less risk." Prior to last season the Qatar night race started at 9pm.<doc-sep>Marquez grabbed a tow from Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales late in the session to eclipse Johann Zarco's existing lap record set in qualifying last year. The session, held in the evening under the lights and thus more representative for the race than the daytime FP1 and FP3, was delayed by five minutes for track clean-up following ex-MotoGP rider Tom Luthi's big crash exiting the Turn 7 right-hander in Moto2 practice. When it kicked off, Rossi's first-practice benchmark was surpassed in almost no time, as Marquez fired in the first sub-1m55s lap of the weekend on just his second flying lap. He was briefly overtaken by Ducati's Danilo Petrucci a few minutes later, but immediately responded with a 1m54.767s to end his opening run out front. The reigning champion remained top until Suzuki rookie Joan Mir equipped a pair of fresh soft tyres and shot up to first place from 13th with a 1m54.433s as late-session qualifying simulations kicked off. Pramac Ducati rider Jack Miller, likewise on new softs, soon surpassed Mir, before Franco Morbidelli took his turn out front, having recovered from a high-speed Turn 1 crash earlier in FP2, which had left his Yamaha on fire. Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso then went quickest with five minutes left on the clock, but was subsequently outpaced by Vinales. However, Marquez crossed the start-finish line moments after the Yamaha man to go almost half a second quicker with a 1m53.380s, the new lap record. Vinales' effort proved good enough for second, ahead of Miller and the Aussie's former teammate Petrucci. Rookie Fabio Quartararo scored an impressive fifth, two places up on Petronas SRT Yamaha teammate Morbidelli, with Dovizioso slotting in between the pair. Suzuki's Alex Rins fired in a personal-best at the chequered flag to move up to eighth place, ahead of Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro and Mir. Rins' last-gasp effort demoted Marquez's new teammate Jorge Lorenzo to 11th, as he ended the session 1.048s off the pace. Rossi was only 17th, the only rider in the field not to improve on his FP1 lap. He and Lorenzo, as well as 13th-placed LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow, potentially face having to go through Q1, as posting a better laptime is likely to be difficult in the daytime third practice. Pol Espargaro led the way among the KTM contingent, posting the 16th-best time, 1.673s slower than Marquez. FP2 times:<doc-sep>The race at the Losail International Circuit is set to kick off at 8pm local time, an hour later than last year, but riders remain concerned about track conditions at that point in the day, following a spate of evening crashes in pre-season testing at the venue. Series organisers were known to be evaluating a change to the timetable after Jorge Lorenzo lobbied Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta, but in the end the schedule remained provisionally unaltered. However, the door was left open for tweaks to be made during the weekend, and on Thursday Lorenzo renewed calls to bring the race forward. Asked about his lack of race simulation practice in pre-season testing, Lorenzo explained: “During the test I did a half [race run], my plan was to do 10 laps, but the temperature dropped a lot and also the humidity, going quite smooth I crashed at Turn 2. “Hopefully the race will get [moved] early on Sunday. “For sure I will try to speak tomorrow in the Safety Commission because at 8 o’clock, drops dramatically the temperature and also the humidity is quite dangerous.” Reigning champion Marc Marquez echoed the viewpoint of his new Honda teammate. “Last year we raced at 7 and it was a really good race,” he said. “The temperature and humidity was fine. I prefer to race at 7. Less risky, and for the show it will be better”. Yamaha riders Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales both agreed that the switch would be preferable and “more safe”. “We have to discuss for sure in the Safety Commission, but anyway like the other riders say, finally at 7 the risk is much less, and for sure the grip on the track will be much better and we can push much more,” Vinales said. “For sure will be a better show, but anyway we have to discuss tomorrow and see what we can do.” Finally, Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso – the winner in Qatar last year – was more reserved than the Honda and Yamaha riders, but still leaned towards an earlier start. “The point is every day the conditions are different. Sometimes the humidity starts very early, sometimes no. Maybe it’s better to take a decision early and race a bit before, I don’t know,” he said. Dovizioso also expressed his frustration at the format of the weekend, under which two practice sessions and the Sunday morning warm-up are held in daytime conditions, which are not representative for qualifying and the race. “The point is during the day already we make two practices, this is bad, because it’s not very good to prepare the race. But this is the condition we find here.”<doc-sep>
The start time for the MotoGP season opener had been moved an hour later compared to 2018, but many riders have called for this to be reversed, as experiences from pre-season testing had left them concerned about late-evening track conditions. After an initial push to bring the race start back forward was resisted before the weekend, top riders again lobbied for the change and vowed to bring it up in Friday's Safety Commission meeting. Yet despite what appeared to be widespread support for a 7pm start, it has now been confirmed that the race will kick off at 8pm local time as scheduled. Friday's second practice had kicked off at 8.05 pm after a small delay and saw few dramas, with only Franco Morbidelli suffering a fast crash at Turn 1 – while Marc Marquez set the fastest-ever lap of the circuit. Speaking before the Safety Commission, LCR Honda rider Cal Crutchlow said the conditions had been “perfect” in FP2, yet stressed that even light rainfall during the weekend could cause dew to build up, which would lead to higher humidity while track temperatures dropped. “Track temperature, as we saw in the Moto2 test last week, 17-18 degrees [Celsius] at 8,” he said. “In our test there was I don't know how many, 12 crashes, after 7.30. You can imagine our feeling about it. “I love this race, I love Qatar, the way that they do it. “It makes a good race, but if the dew on the track is like sometimes it can be, they won't have any finishers. “No matter how fast or slow you ride, there would be no finishers. If it is really, really bad like we've seen.” His LCR teammate Takaaki Nakagami agreed with the Briton, saying: “For sure 7 will be better, more safety. “Around end of the race, around 8.30, almost conditions completely change - even during the test, [around] 8'o clock, I had a crash, feelings in the front tyre completely change.” Existing television commitments were reportedly key to race direction's refusal to grant a change in start time. It is, however, understood that series promoter Dorna has assured riders it will explore the possibility to revert to a 7pm start next year. Additional reporting by Khodr Rawi