Rain delays Qatar MotoGP start

Earlier in the evening the 125cc race was abandoned just four laps in after a downpour began, and the 250cc race was delayed to allow the track to dry and then shortened to ensure the MotoGP round began on time.

The Safety Commission has already decided that it will not be possible to race at the floodlit circuit in the wet because visibility will be too poor as the artificial light reflects off the wet surface.

Temperatures remain warm, so if the rain stops the track is expected to dry rapidly, but the storm has so far intensified rather than easing off, with large puddles now appearing on the circuit.

"It's bad luck for us," front row starter Jorge Lorenzo told BBC television. "All the organisation and the practice has been good, the track and the country are good, I just hope it dries. The night is dark, unnatural light, it's not the perfect situation. The tarmac is quite slippery."