Source: Supplied.

The first GP weekend of the year heads into the desert of Qatar. 2016 was a history maker of nine different winners, Independent Team glory and another incredible championship win for Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez.

But 2017 is the deepest grid ever, with 10 world champions sharing 29 titles between them – some gearing up to add to their legends, some wanting to start writing them – and an unbelievable total of 197 premier class victories shared.

Last year was then and this is now. Pre-season has given us some incredible indications of the season we have to look forward to. Stealing the headlines has been Movistar Yamaha MotoGP newcomer Maverick Viñales, who topped every test, as teammate Valentino Rossi seemed to struggle more to unlock the potential of the package.

Jorge Lorenzo (Ducati Team) has made huge leaps forward in red, aero fairings have come calling as wings get banned, and there has been a rider shuffle across half the grid.

Rewind a year and Repsol Honda Team were facing down what looked like would be a tough season. This year, both reigning champion Marquez and teammate Dani Pedrosa have been much happier in pre-season, despite some crashes for the rider from Cervera.

Marquez’s record at Losail is good at two podiums and a win from four races in the premier class, but the Spaniard says the track is not suited to the Honda and wrapped up the test in Qatar wanting to fight for the podium under the floodlights.

Teammate Pedrosa has had a tougher time at Losail, but the he shone during testing throughout winter. With Viñales out front in every test, only one other rider has been in the top five overall at Sepang, Phillip Island and Losail in Pedrosa. After a tough start to 2016 followed by that stunning win in Misano, progress for the Spaniard is still very much an upward curve.

An upward curve is something mirrored by old nemesis Lorenzo. Teammate Andrea Dovizioso has concentrated on development and testing parts for the new campaign with positive results, whilst Lorenzo has simply focused on adaptation. That has paid off, moving up from well outside the top 10 to complete the top four overall at the close of action in the Qatar test.

Meanwhile, ‘DesmoDovi’ has a good podium record at Losail and the Desmosedici goes well at the venue, but Lorenzo is the king of the desert. Six victories for the ‘Spartan’ – half of which have been in the premier class – make for good reading ahead of the season-opener.

Add Ducati’s recent record of podium success at the track and Lorenzo seems to have the chance to break a record in Qatar. Only former teammate Valentino Rossi has ever won back-to-back premier class races with different manufacturers. Losail, for Lorenzo, may not just prove the start of a new era – it could be much more.

Rossi’s last win at Losail was in 2015 in a stunning season-opener. After a difficult pre-season, the ‘Doctor’ will be hoping for the hand to fall as it did on day two of the Qatar test, which saw the Italian shoot up the time-sheets as track conditions were favourable. Times aside, the rider from Tavullia is also a Sunday specialist and always has been.

Viñales is at the other end of the spectrum of experience, but with two seasons in the premier class under his belt and a full house of being the fastest man in testing, the young gun seems one to beat. On potential alone, the trophy has a name penciled on it. But whilst his pace on paper is ominous, it can be a different game as a title contender – one the 2016 Silverstone winner has not yet played.

Some of the others making a switch for 2017 are former Losail podium finisher Andrea Iannone and rookie Alex Rins at Team Suzuki Ecstar, Aleix Espargaro and rookie Sam Lowes at Aprilia Racing Team Gresini and reigning Moto2 champion Johann Zarco and Jonas Folger at Monster Yamaha Tech 3 as the Independent Team take on two newcomers to the premier class.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing are also ready to race, after a long period of testing and a huge amount of data gathered in pre-season. The Austrian factory now look down the barrel of their first outing with Pol Espargaro and Bradley Smith as they line up full time, also becoming the only manufacturer to have a presence on each grid – MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3.

It’s been a long winter, but 2017 really does start now. The lights go out in Qatar at 9:00pm local time on Sunday, 26 March – when the flag drops, and the talking stops.