The Sunday race schedule for the MotoGP Malaysian Grand Prix has been brought forward by two hours in a bid to avoid the heavy rain which has currently halted MotoGP qualifying.
A sudden rain storm towards the end of FP4 on Saturday left the track saturated for the start of qualifying, with the Q1 session red-flagged just two minutes in.
Qualifying is still currently under red flag conditions, though weather conditions have improved since the session was initially halted.
Malaysia typically sees heavy rain past 1500 local time, which was the original start time for Sunday's MotoGP race, with the 2012 race abandoned halfway through due to a heavy downpour.
In a bid to avoid the worst of the weather, the Sunday has been dramatically altered, with racing brought forward by two hours.
The opening Moto3 race is now set to start at 1000 local time, which is 0200 in the UK, while Moto2 is scheduled for 1120 local time, which is 0320 in the UK.
The flagship 18th round of the 2018 MotoGP World Championship is now set to get underway at 1300 local time, which is 0500 in the UK. Warm-up is set to start at 0740 local time.
Earlier this season, the schedule for Sunday at the British Grand Prix was altered significantly to avoid heavy rain after it was discovered Silverstone's new track surface was inadequate at draining water.
The race was eventually cancelled, marking the first abandoned full grand prix race schedule since the 1980 Austrian Grand Prix.
