As it always does, Qatar provided unique challenges for Red Bull KTM Tech3 on Friday. Riders had to adapt to considerably different conditions between FP1, which took place under the burning sun at 14:45, and Practice, when the floodlights were turned on, at 19:00.

The sizzling afternoon track temperatures of 42 degrees had dropped by ten once Practice got underway. That was favourable for fast times and the all-time lap record for the 5.38km circuit was bettered on Friday evening.Bastianini had a tricky opening to the day as he struggled with a lack of rear grip in the first session. But thanks to some set-up changes, ‘La Bestia’ gained confidence as Practice progressed. P16 with 13 minutes to go, he soon jumped up to eighth, before a final Time Attack lifted him to sixth.

This is the fourth Friday from the past five – and the third in succession – in which Bastianini has finished inside the top ten.

There were also positive signs for Viñales on Friday. P15 in FP1, the Spaniard knocked off a colossal two seconds from his personal best time in the earlier session. Inside the top ten with 20 minutes of Practice to play, ‘Top Gun’ was eventually shuffled back to P15 again but feels there is more to come ahead of Qualifying.

FP2 is next up for Bastianini and Viñales on Saturday afternoon at 14:00 AST (UTC+3). Qualifying will follow at 14:40 (UTC+3), which will then determine the starting grid for the 11-lap Sprint which runs at 19:00 (UTC+3).

Enea Bastianini: “It was a tough day, to be honest, especially at the start, because I was missing a lot of grip. I was always sliding, and on entry I had some movement from the rear, which doesn’t help at a track like this with so many fast corners, where you need to feel safe and confident. We kept working and solved some problems, and the big step came when we put the soft tyre in, so it’s good to go directly into Q2. The problem was more or less the same this morning and this evening, so if something works in Practice it can also work for the Sprint tomorrow. For the time attack we have solved some problems, but for race pace we are still  missing something. So, we need to keep working with the medium rear because it will be the race tyre. I’m confident, because we already improved on the medium in the middle of the session. I think we are going in the right direction, but I want to be much closer, because the Ducatis and Aprilias were very fast from the start today.”

Maverick Viñales: “It’s frustrating to arrive in Qatar in this physical condition, because I feel really good at this track normally. Unfortunately, I’m not in the condition to ride at 100% this weekend. I lost so much in a few corners where I used to be really quick, especially in sector three. Normally I was ahead of everyone there by one or two tenths, but now I’m very slow, and that’s down to my physical condition. It is what it is, so I’m going to try to enjoy it as much as I can, because the feeling and the feedback from the bike are really nice. Then we’ll see if I can have a race where I feel good, the flow is coming and I can move forward. That’s my target."