Qatar MotoGP test

Aleix Espargaro is hoping he and Aprilia can iron out last year's mistakes and make the most of a 'lighter, more reactive' RS-GP to climb ten places in this year's MotoGP championship standings.

It's not only MotoGP engine design that will be frozen for the 2018 season at the opening round in Qatar next weekend. Michelin will not introduce any new tyre designs once the world championship is underway.

UPDATE: Sam Lowes fastest on day two at Jerez .

Danilo Petrucci "My score out of 10? 8. " "I am really satisfied with the tests."

KTM has officially confirmed that Tech3 will become its satellite MotoGP team from 2019.

Valentino Rossi signed off a topsy-turvy pre-season with second place on the final night of MotoGP testing in Qatar.

Johann Zarco has every chance of starting the 2018 MotoGP season where he left off at the end of his rookie campaign: fighting for the top of the timesheets.

Johann Zarco, fastest in the dry at the final pre-season test, is sure that MotoGP will be able to race under floodlights in the rain, should such conditions occur at the season-opening Qatar race.

Tech 3 boss Herve Poncharal has made his first public comments since the news that the French team will end its 20-year association with Yamaha and switch to another manufacturer for the 2019 MotoGP season.

Some of the long race-simulation runs during Saturday's final day of 2018 pre-season testing in Qatar can be seen below. The full race distance is 22 laps, as completed by Pramac Ducati's Danilo Petrucci.

With the last hour (8-9pm) in Qatar to be used for a special wet test under the floodlights, these will be the final laps times for Saturday's final day of MotoGP pre-season testing.

Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Tech3 (YZR-M1) 1m 54.029s [Day 3] Valentino Rossi ITA

Saturday marks the final day of 2018 MotoGP pre-season testing, in Qatar. Testing takes place from 1-9pm, but with a wet test is planned for the final hour, from 8-9pm. The season-opening grand prix will be held at the same Losail circuit on March 16-18…

Saturday marks the final day of 2018 MotoGP pre-season testing, in Qatar. Testing takes place from 1-9pm, but with the final hour dedicated to a special wet weather test under the floodlights. The season-opening grand prix will be held at the same Losail circuit on March 16-18…

Saturday marks the final day of 2018 MotoGP pre-season testing, in Qatar. Testing takes place from 1-9pm, but with the final hour dedicated to a special wet weather test under the floodlights. The season-opening grand prix will be held at the same Losail circuit on March 16-18…

Saturday marks the final day of 2018 MotoGP pre-season testing, in Qatar. Testing takes place from 1-9pm, but with the final hour dedicated to a special wet weather test under the floodlights.

Alma Pramac Ducati team-mates Jack Miller and Danilo Petrucci had a Friday night scare when they fell moments apart, at the same corner, during MotoGP testing in Qatar. Miller was the first to go down, at Turn 1:

Andrea Iannone put Suzuki at the top of the timesheets on his final lap of the Losail Circuit in Qatar on Friday night.

Andrea Dovizioso is confident he can be a MotoGP title contender from the very start of the 2018 world championship.

Friday marked the penultimate day of MotoGP pre-season testing, in Qatar. With the season-opening grand prix weekend - to be held at the same Losail circuit on March 16-18 - featuring an earlier track schedule this year, testing takes place from 1-9pm.

Friday marks the second day of the final 2018 MotoGP pre-season test, in Qatar. With the season-opening grand prix weekend - to be held at the same Losail circuit on March 16-18 - featuring an earlier track schedule this year, testing runs from 1-9pm.

Friday marks the second day of the final 2018 MotoGP pre-season test, in Qatar. With the season-opening grand prix weekend - to be held at the same Losail circuit on March 16-18 - featuring an earlier track schedule this year, testing runs from 1-9pm.

Friday marks the second day of the final 2018 MotoGP pre-season test, in Qatar.

Friday marks the second day of the final 2018 MotoGP pre-season test, in Qatar. With the season-opening grand prix weekend - to be held at the same Losail circuit on March 16-18 - featuring an earlier track schedule this year, testing runs from 1-9pm.