This weekend marks the series’ return to the South American nation for the first time in more than two decades, while the last time the Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia welcomed international motorcycle racing’s elite was all the way back in 1989.

Completely resurfaced as part of a recent multi-million-dollar upgrade, the 3.835km, 14-turn circuit – the second shortest on the current MotoGP calendar behind Germany’s Sachsenring – blends fast, flowing kinks with a tight-and-twisty infield section.

The challenge was amplified by the inconsistent weather, with heavy rain resulting in a delayed start to proceedings and making FP1 a journey into the unknown.

Bidding to quickly bounce back from a difficult season-opener in Thailand three weeks ago, Tech3 duo Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini spent the first on-track session in Brazil exploring the grip levels with their KTM RC16 bikes - opting to do so on wet Michelin rubber.

Between them, the pair clocked 36 laps on the damp-but-drying asphalt, as Viñales ended up in sixth, just 0.818s shy of the benchmark time, with team-mate Bastianini less than two tenths further back in 11th.

With the circuit now largely dry but more rain in the air as Practice began, both riders ventured out onto track immediately, tiptoeing their way tentatively around the lap in the precarious conditions.

Viñales had dropped to 14th when the heavens re-opened midway through the afternoon session. Hindered by the weather, the Spaniard missed out on advancing directly to Q2 by just 0.159s.

Also struggling with the worsening conditions, Bastianini played it safe as several rivals fell victim to the sketchy surface, electing to minimise risk so early in the weekend and winding up 22nd.

The competitive action continues tomorrow (Saturday). A 30-minute FP2 session at 10:10 local time (UTC-3) will allow both Tech3 riders to refine their set-ups ahead of Q1 (10:50), when they will endeavour to secure one of the two remaining spots in Q2. The 15-lap Tissot Sprint race follows at 15:00 (UTC-3).

Maverick Viñales: “I had a good feeling on the bike. The traction was good, and I recovered the sensation I had at the Sepang test. Of course, I’m not happy with the result, but I’m happy in the sense that I feel the bike working again, which is the most important thing. I just couldn’t push to the limit in the wet parts of the circuit on slick tyres – I didn’t feel too comfortable in those conditions - but in the dry sections, I feel very strong. I don’t think we’re going to see a fully dry track - it looks like the mixed weather is here to stay - but I’m really excited to keep pushing and keep building.”

Enea Bastianini: “We spent this morning trying to learn the track. It was fun to ride – really compact, but cool. In the afternoon, though, I couldn’t push – the front of the bike felt light, which was strange. It was the first time I’ve ever experienced that, so we need to understand what happened, but we’ll check over all the data to resolve the problem and we’ll improve tomorrow.”