With the hugely different track lengths of Buriram and Losail, the deficit from the top is an unfair comparison if measured in laptime – but in terms of percentage, the Malaysian’s progress is clear. Just under 2% off his teammate in Thailand on first contact, Syahrin’s deficit in Qatar has dropped to just over 1% off Zarco – who also topped the timesheets in the third test. As expected, the ‘Pescao’ is a happy man leaving the desert.