QATAR
Circuit Length: 5.380 km (3.343 miles)
The first race of the season at Qatar presents quite a challenge for teams. Being the only race run at night, track temperatures are always quite low which would normally require softer compounds, but often there is desert sand on the track surface which can be quite abrasive thus making durability of tires a priority. This combination of low temperature and high abrasion makes it very tough for the teams to make the correct tire selection tyres, the tires need to be hard on the especially on the right shoulders, yet as they have to be soft enough to provide grip in the low track temperature but hard enough to resist wear. The tyres – particularly the front – also need high levels of stability for the heavy braking points at this circuit, as the riders head down the straight into turn 1, they reach speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour, this combined with the quick track speeds into turns 4, 12 and 16 put the bike, tires and riders under some real stress