This is part of an occasional series of articles explaining the basics of MotoGP. Though aimed at newcomers, hopefully they will include enough detail to be useful to more frequent MotoGP watchers.
Once you have watched a MotoGP race and become addicted to the most exciting sport on earth, the next step is to start watching qualifying and practice. It may seem straightforward – at the end of each session, the riders are ranked by the fastest lap time they set – but there is much more to it than that. As you dig in, you learn more, and you get a better sense of how the weekend is going for each of the riders and the factories.
To help you dig in, here is my guide to watching a MotoGP weekend. What the teams and riders are doing each session, what their goal is, how much importance to attach to the lap times. This is based on my experience in the paddock, both watching and talking to riders and engineers. I hope you find it useful.
Thursday – Media day
