The wind continued to blow, and the dust plumed across the flat and floodlit Losail International Circuit as the MotoGP teams returned to speed for the second dose of action in Qatar. Both Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Tech3 KTM Factory Racing had another chance to improve the setup of the RC16 for what was the fifth GP - and in only four years - for the factory at the venue.
For the second time in a week, a 22-lap distance lay ahead for the riders, and the KTM quartet opted for the Medium tire compound, untried in race conditions. Oliveira made a fantastic launch from 12th on the grid and was haunting the top five and then top ten until he encountered a technical problem with his dash display.