MotoGP Qatar Grand Prix 2017: Race Schedule, Live Stream and Top Riders

MotoGP makes a much-anticipated return to the competitive circuit on Sunday as Honda Repsol star Marc Marquez prepares to open his title defence for the 2017 season at the Qatar Grand Prix.

It was in 2008 that Qatar brought MotoGP audiences their first sighting of a night race in the sport, and Losail International Circuit will once again welcome a late start in 2017.

Marquez could only salvage a third-place finish in last year's season opener as Jorge Lorenzo took top spot and Andrea Dovizioso ran in second, but the defending champion will be hoping to begin with a flourish this time around.

Read on for a breakdown of this weekend's schedule leading into Sunday's grand prix, complete with a preview of which riders to watch out for at Losail. 

The action can be streamed via the BT Sport website (UK) and beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)

Jorge Lorenzo

Lorenzo has many a change to expect this season as he prepares to make his debut in Ducati red, but one constant he'll hope remains is his electric form at the Qatar Grand Prix.

It's difficult to know what to anticipate coming into the new campaign, but BT Sport experts have spoken promisingly of Lorenzo's prospects coming into 2017 following a fine final week of pre-season:

The Spaniard ended Day 4 with 53 laps to his name and a best time of one minute, 54.519 seconds, but Lorenzo told the media there was still some fine-tuning needed:

"

Today was a much more positive day than the first two. In general things went very well and I achieved my best position in the three official 2017 tests. We upped the pace quite a lot and I also managed to set some good times, but we still have to work on the race pace and, with the GP in mind, also decide which tyres to use. We still have a lot of work to do, but on this track I think we can score a good result and so I’m leaving Qatar optimistic about the first race.

"

Although Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi have more MotoGP wins in Qatar to their name, Lorenzo is officially the most successful rider in Losail's history accounting for both Moto2 and Moto3 race results.

With that record in mind, the 29-year-old will be motivated to defend an already impressive record at the track in the hopes he can win his fourth Qatar crown in the space of five years.

Maverick Vinales

If Spain's evolution as a growing powerhouse in MotoGP and Maverick Vinales' own advancement in the sport is anything to go by, we can expect to see the young gun staking his claim on a lot more podium places in 2017.

After clocking up just 97 race points in his maiden 2015 campaign, the 22-year-old more than doubled that tally with 202 points, one win and four podium spots in 2016. His pre-season form has been extremely promising:

Despite the improvements, Vinales has said his approach to the sport hasn't changed, despite the fact his form on the track has suggested otherwise:

Vinales finished sixth in Qatar at the beginning of last season before finally reaching his potential toward the end of the season, where he turned up three of his four top-three finishes in the final seven races of the term.

Three-time world champion Marquez may be the flavour of the month in MotoGP in recent years, but this may be the year Yamaha starlet Vinales makes his burst into the spotlight.