Vinales looks for confirmation

There is no shadow of doubt that Vinales has been the man of the winter. Most in the paddock recognised him as one of the greatest talents in recent times, yet no one, even within Yamaha or his new team, imagined that his adaptation to a new bike and environment would be so straightforward.

The Spaniard hasn’t even crashed once in eight days of testing, and the package of the M1 underneath him continues to go from strength to strength.

At this point, it’s time for him to start thinking about the opening round of the season. The pressure for victory will be on him at Losail; how will he react to it is the only question left to answer.

Rossi needs a big step forward

It would be a huge mistake to make any conclusion about what to expect from Rossi in a season that hasn’t even started, but the Italian seems to be far behind not only new Yamaha teammate Vinales but also arch-rival Marc Marquez on the Honda.

Now Rossi has no choice but to take more risks than usual. ‘The Doctor' is running out of time and must find a more comfortable setting for his M1 to allow him to try and close the gap to the two Spaniards, both over a single lap and on the long runs.

Marquez focused on Honda fine tuning

As evidenced by the race simulation he did at Phillip Island, Marquez has begun to feel very comfortable on his bike. Those long runs prove that he has almost found his rhythm for the races, something which puts him a step ahead of Vinales.

In Qatar, the main objective of the reigning champion will be to finish honing the RC213V's new engine with the electronics, assuming that the injury he suffered to his right shoulder in a private test a few days ago in Jerez doesn't give him too much grief.

These last sessions will be a good gauge for comparing where Honda was a year ago, when the Japanese marque appeared in Losail with a prototype that was sluggish in all areas.

Ducati back on friendly territory

Qatar has always been a good circuit for both Ducati and Jorge Lorenzo (who have scored three wins each there), so there is no better circuit than Losail to see how the new alliance between the three-time champion and the Borgo Panigale squad is shaping up.

In less than three months, Lorenzo has gone from having good feelings on his debut with the Desmosedici in Valencia to the total discomfort of a nightmare first day in Sepang. Two weeks ago, in Australia, he practically ruled himself out of the fight for the championship.

If the Ducati does not set the standard in Qatar, where the huge main straight should allow it to take advantage of the muscle that hides within, the Italian manufacturer is likely to struggle in 2017.

Pedrosa looking like a contender

A few days ago Marquez was asked about the rivals that he will face in his quest for the 2017 crown, and he talked about Vinales, Rossi and also his own teammate, Dani Pedrosa.

A combination of the work that Honda has done with the RC213V and the arrival of Sete Gibernau as a rider coach means that Pedrosa is looking faster and more motivated after an injury-interrupted end to a largely dismal 2016 campaign.

True to his style, with little fuss, the Catalan has been gaining consistency and speed (he was the third fastest in Australia), and if he finishes putting everything in place this weekend, he should be in the fight for the podium from the start of the year.

Iannone aims to bounce back

Iannone struggled at Phillip Island, where the wind, in combination with the Suzuki’s profile, prevented him from being the threat that he was in both Valencia last November and in Sepang.

The Qatar test will be a good chance for the Vasto rider to take back ground from Alex Rins, his rookie partner at the Hamamatsu-based marque, who was the faster of the pair in Australia.

But it remains to be seen how the GSX-RR's engine responds when measured alongside the competition along Qatar's long main straight, and how the bike reacts on long runs after 15 laps.

KTM looks for further progress

After a productive pre-season that has seen MotoGP's newest team make major steps, this last bout of testing will give us an idea of what to expect from KTM during its full time debut in MotoGP.

The Austrian brand has not stopped working on its prototype, bringing to each circuit an impressive arsenal of parts. In Losail, there is expected to be a new engine, one that's less wild than the one that Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith have tried to tame until now.

Will Ducati reveal a new fairing?

The ban on aerodynamic winglets remains one of the biggest talking points ahead of the start of the new season. The teams will have to homologate a fairing to start the championship, and will only have one possible update throughout the year (apart from KTM, which has privileges during its first year).

Theoretically, that will force the manufacturers to show their designs and put them on track to test them this week, and after Yamaha, Suzuki and Aprilia showed their proposals at Sepang and Phillip Island, Ducati's interpretation could well break cover this week.

For months, the Italian marque has been licking its wounds after losing a big advantage with the change of regulations - now comes its chance to fight back.