MotoGP Grand Prix of Qatar 2015: Race Schedule, Live Stream and Top Riders
The 2015 MotoGP campaign gets underway on Sunday as the cream of the racing crop look to draw first blood at the season-opening Grand Prix of Qatar.
The Losail International Circuit in Doha will play host to a record-breaking full-time entry list of 25 riders, according to the official MotoGP website, including title defender Marc Marquez.
A long season lies ahead before this year's champion will be crowned, but a good start will be considered pivotal to all those competing should they look to make a run at top spot in 2015.
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Read on for a full breakdown of when and where to watch the action, along with a preview of which riders will be worthy of extra attention when the season kicks off this Sunday.
| First Qualifying Session | Saturday, March 28 | 5:35 p.m. GMT/1:35 p.m. ET | 5:50 p.m. GMT/1:50 p.m. ET |
| Second Qualifying Session | Saturday, March 28 | 6 p.m. GMT/2 p.m. ET | 6:15 p.m. GMT/2:15 p.m. ET |
| Warm-Up | Sunday, March 29 | 3 p.m. BST/10 a.m. ET | 3:20 p.m. BST/10:20 a.m. ET |
| Race | Sunday, March 29 | 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET | N/A |
Live coverage of all MotoGP qualifying sessions and races can be viewed with subscription to the official MotoGP videopass. UK viewers can watch Sunday's race via BT Sport's stream, while U.S. audiences can watch via FOX Sports GO.
Top Riders to Watch
Marc Marquez
In search of a three-peat, Marquez is looking to extend his run as the emerging phenomenon in motor racing, having so far won the MotoGP title every season in which he's competed.
The two-time champion began 2015 just as he finished 2014, topping Thursday's free practice charts to give the Repsol Honda team substantial hope that he's capable of maintaining form in Qatar:
At just 22 years of age, Marquez may well be considered an infant to some of those more seasoned stars on the racing scene, but he's shown that experience is no prerequisite for success.
In fact, Marquez comes to Doha having placed on the podium in the last two Grand Prix of Qatar, winning the 2014 title, and BBC Sport's Azi Farni puts forth that he remains the man to beat this time around:
Marquez's performances in practice suggest he's again capable of ruffling feathers in the first race of the season, with all eyes on the Spaniard to start his championship defence with a boom.
Aleix Espargaro
After a four-year hiatus from MotoGP competition, Suzuki may not be expected to cause a major fuss this season, but the manufacturer has an extremely capable rider at its helm in Aleix Espargaro.
The brother of Pol Espargaro finished last season in a fairly impressive seventh place, one place below his younger sibling, but he took to his official Twitter account to voice the anticipation building toward this campaign:
Espargaro started 2015 in a positive light, too, placing third in the first free practice session with a fastest time of one minute and 55.685 seconds—just three-tenths of a second slower than Marquez.
Displays such as that may have surprised some in signalling what Espargaro and Suzuki are capable of upon the manufacturers return to MotoGP, and it may be worth keeping tabs on their progress in Doha.
Valentino Rossi
Valentino Rossi is the oldest rider competing in this season's MotoGP after turning 36 years old in February, but "The Doctor" remains a surgeon in his field of work and will never be underestimated.
And it's fitting that such an experienced sage of MotoGP should refer to Sunday's opener as "like the first day of school" in the build-up to Sunday's race, per Crash.net's Peter McLaren:
"The first race is always special, because you feel a little bit different. You feel the pressure, the adrenaline, like the first day at school. From the tests you can already have some idea what will happen on a race weekend, but when it is for real the situation can be different.
It looks like all the riders are very motivated, looks like it will be very tough. A lot of different bikes and different riders in a great shape and very, very close.
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Rossi will be one of those hoping to figure among the top finishers come season's end after placing second in the 2014 standings, but his tactic will be to take the season one race at a time, starting this weekend.
The Italian is very much at the other end of the spectrum to Marquez in terms of career prospects, but both will have attention focused on first place in Doha.
With three victories at the Grand Prix of Qatar, Rossi is one of this race's most decorated participants, but it's now been five years since he last claimed the winner's medal at this event.
That being said, last year's second-place finish to Marquez will give "The Doctor" serious hope of clinching maximum points on Sunday and giving Movistar Yamaha the ideal start to 2015.
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