Pole-sitter and Sprint Race winner Marc Marquez won the MotoGP World Championship race Sunday at Chang International Circuit, in Thailand. Riding his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP25 on Michelin control tires, the six-time MotoGP World Champion won the 26-lap race by 1.732 seconds.

Alex Marquez was the runner-up on his BK8 Gresini Racing Ducati Desmosedici.

Two-time MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia placed third on his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP25.

Franco Morbidelli took fourth on his Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team Ducati.

Impressive rookie Ai Ogura crossed the finish line fifth on his Trackhouse MotoGP Team Aprilia RS-GP.

For the championship, Alex Marquez is 8 points behind his brother Marc Marquez who has 37 points. Francesco Bagnaia is third with 23 points.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Strategic masterclass sees Marc Marquez double up in Buriram stand-off. Becoming the first rider to win on their Ducati Grand Prix debut since Casey Stoner in 2007, Marc Marquez departs Thailand with a perfect start to his title charge. 

The goosebumps of the season-opening Grand Prix are always special and the moment finally came to fruition as the PT Grand Prix of Thailand launched MotoGP™ in 2025. A tactical race with plenty of talking points, it was six-time MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) who bagged 25 points in a race where the results don’t tell the entire story.

AS IT HAPPENED: Marquez holeshots before relinquishing lead

Grabbing the holeshot and seizing the initiative in a repeat of the Sprint on Saturday, Marc Marquez lead them through the opening laps. Brother Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) was second whilst Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) occupied P3. Another good start from Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) saw him briefly inside the podium places on Lap 1 but he was soon shuffled back. Pedro Acosta’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) charge in the leading places soon came to an abrupt end with a fall at Turn 1 on Lap 4.

The race looked to be taking a familiar tone to the Sprint but you can never guarantee anything in the most exciting sport on Earth. On Lap 7, coming out of Turn 3, leader Marquez seemingly slowed down with no apparent or visual reason. He slotted in behind his brother, who assumed the lead of the Grand Prix; whilst Marc may not have led every lap of the year, a Marquez has. Whether it was for tyre pressure concerns, tyre/fuel conservation or another factor, we now had a tense Grand Prix at the front between the rival siblings.

BATTLES ELSEWHERE: Miller in contention, Mir top ten goes begging

Further back, there was a good fight for sixth place with Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and Joan Mir (HRC Honda Castrol). However, for Mir, the 2020 World Champion’s optimism turned to despair as he fell on Lap 16 at Turn 12, tucking the front and unable to remount.

Maintaining the status quo for the next handful of laps at the front, Marc remained glued to his brother; on Lap 18, Pecco was likewise just a second back but after a couple more laps, started slipping back but was in a safe third place ahead of the #21 of Franco Morbidelli. Having initially looked as if he didn’t have the pace to go with the leading brothers, the #63 closed back in.

DECISIVE MOVE: Marc attacks with 3 to go

It came too late to have a say though as on Lap 23 at Turn 12, Marc attacked Alex and retook the lead. All eyes were now on whether or not the #73 had anything left in the locker the six-time MotoGP Champion had it all under control. 93 Grand Prix weekends after he last led the World Championship, Marc Marquez doubled up at the Destination of Speed and took his first Grand Prix victory in the red of Ducati. A 112th podium, he matches ex-teammate at Honda Dani Pedrosa in the rostrum rankings.

Bagnaia closed in on Alex as the race reached its climax but couldn’t have a say, with Alex holding on and joining his brother on the podium. Pecco’s third place means the top three from the Sprint emphasized their strength with a repeat showing in Sunday’s Grand Prix. Morbidelli clinched fourth place ahead of an impressive Ogura, who can be proud of a double top five on his debut weekend to welcome him up to MotoGP. Ogura’s result is the best by a rookie in a Grand Prix since 2013 – some kid called Marc Marquez back then. It’s also the first top five for a Japanese rider in a Grand Prix since 2021’s Styrian GP, with Takaaki Nakagami also in P5. Bezzecchi fought through for P6 ahead of a late-charging Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR), already bettering Honda’s best result from last year at the same Grand Prix.

BEST OF THE REST: Binder and Bastianini come through

Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had a quiet race to P8, ahead of a resurgent Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) who turned his pre-season woes into Grand Prix gains in ninth; Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) came through to deny Jack Miller the final place within the top ten, although Miller’s first Grand Prix with Yamaha saw him as the top representative for the Iwata manufacturer.

With Miller taking P11, Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) was next up and saw off pressure from rookie Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), with the 2021 World Champion having a nightmare opening lap where he was as low as 18^th and never really recovering. Home-hero Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) took 18^th, just five seconds from points on his debut.

Manuel Gonzalez won the FIM Moto2 World Championship race Sunday at Chang International Circuit, in Thailand. Riding his Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP Kalex on Pirelli control tires, the Spaniard won the 22-lap race by 2.600 second.

Spaniard Aron Canet was the runner-up on his Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO Kalex.

Australian (and the winner’s teammate), Senna Agius, was third. 

Brazilian Diogo Moreira finished fourth on his Italtrans Racing Team Kalex.

Spaniard Marcos Ramirez  took fifth on his OnlyFans American Racing Team Kalex and his teammate and American Joe Roberts finished the opening race 18th. 

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Gonzalez unbeatable in Buriram as Agius earns P3. The #18 produced a dominant ride to beat Canet by over two seconds in Thailand, with Australia’s Agius recovering from a Long Lap penalty to grab a podium. 

Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) produced an inch perfect performance at the Thai Grand Prix to collect the first Moto2 victory honours of the season. Aron Canet (Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO) claimed a solid second place as Senna Agius makes it two Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP riders on the rostrum despite being handed a Long Lap penalty following an incident with Celestino Vietti (Team HDR Heidrun).

The early frontrunner on his Triumph-powered Boscoscuro was Vietti but Gonzalez was clinging right onto the tailpipes of the Italian, with the latter’s teammate Agius enjoying a fantastic start to the race to sit in P3. By Lap 12 of 22, Gonzalez was at the front and beginning to pull the pin. The gap was up to 1.9s as Agius locked onto the back of Vietti.

Then, drama. Agius showed a wheel to Vietti’s left hand side through Turn 10 and there was contact made. It was enough to see Vietti slide out of contention, Agius was wide and lost a heap of time, which allowed Canet to climb into second place. That controversial collision meant Gonzalez was now over three seconds ahead at the front, with Agius handed a Long Lap penalty for his involvement.

In the closing stages, Gonzalez and Canet were comfortable in P1 and P2, with Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) – who picked off Agius after the Australian’s mistake – starting to come under pressure from the recovering #81. The move came at Turn 12 with three laps to go, before Moreira bit back at Turn 1. Agius was back into P3 at Turn 3, but Moreira didn’t throw in the sweat drenched towel. The duo exchanged positions five times on Lap 21 of 22, with Agius holding the final podium spot coming onto the final lap.

And after the superb Gonzalez clinched a second Moto2 win, and Canet crossed the line to collect a valuable 20 points, Agius held onto third place to beat Moreira by 0.251s. Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing Team) rounded out the top five, the Andalucian eventually fending off Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO) and Jake Dicon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) by just over one and a half seconds – the Briton acting as the lead Boscoscuro rider in Thailand.

Top rookie honours went the way of the incredibly impressive Daniel Holgado as the CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team star bagged P8, the Spaniard finishing ahead of Filip Salač (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Alonso Lopez (Team HDR Heidrun).

Further down, there were points gained by rookie Adrian Huertas (Italtrans Racing Team) in P14, with Indonesia’s Mario Aji (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) picking up a fifth P15 finish.

Victories don’t get much more comfortable than that. Gonzalez lays down an early gauntlet in Moto2 as attention turns to Round 2 in Argentina.

Jose Antonio Rueda won the FIM Moto3 World Championship race Sunday at Chang International Circuit, in Thailand. Using his Pirelli-shod Red Bull KTM Ajo, the Spaniard won the 19-lap race by 7.276 second.

His rookie teammate and Spaniard Alvaro Carpe was the runner-up.

The Spanish rider Adrian Fernandez was third, just 0.065 second behind Carpe, on his Leopard Racing Honda. 

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Rueda eases to Buriram victory, teammate Carpe stuns in P2. In a chaotic Moto3™ Grand Prix, it was Jose Antonio Rueda’s experience that saw him take victory whilst his rookie teammate grabbed attention on his debut. 

Grand Prix Sunday is off to flying start as the Moto3™ World Championship rocketed into life at the Chang International Circuit. The PT Grand Prix of Thailand’s main race day started with plenty of talking points but coming out of the drama unscathed and opening his victory account in 2025, Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo) stayed clear of trouble to take a second career victory.

RACE STORY: early incidents with big impacts

As we so often see in Moto3, the opening exchanges were hotly contested, with Rueda leading from the front from polesitter Matteo Bertelle (LEVEL-UP MTA), but the second-place baton was being swapped plenty of times as the riders fought for position. There was opening lap drama for rookies Cormac Buchanan (BOE Motorsports) and Eddie O’Shea (GRYD – MLav Racing), with the New Zealander taking out the Brit in a last corner-first lap incident.

With 13 laps to go, a lead group of 13 had formed after home hero Tatchakorn Buasri (Honda Team Asia) crashed out of contention with Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3). Then, Buasri’s teammate Taiyo Furusato had his podium hopes ended at Turn 3 with 12 laps to go. Now, it was a front bunch of 12 riders but two more then dropped out of the podium fight. Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) went off at Turn 3 after a collision with David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Intact Dynavolt), the latter receiving a Long Lap Penalty but crashing out on Lap 13 before he had the chance to take it.

With all the incidents and scrapping in the group, Rueda took his opportunity to bolt clear and instilled a two-second gap between him and the likes of Stefano Nepa (SIC58 Squadra Corse), Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) and rookie revelation Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo). With just five laps to go, Joel Kelso (LEVEL-UP MTA) got it all wrong at Turn 12 and took out Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI). The latter rejoined but Kelso was out.

CLOSING STAGES: a fierce fight for P2

The final laps were all about the battle for P2; Fernandez was looking at equalling his career-best finish, Carpe at a debut podium and Nepa – with more starts than any current Moto3 rider on the grid – a career-first podium. Up the road by 7 seconds, Rueda took a second win of his career and would find his teammate alongside him in P2, a magnificent debut for Carpe. Fernandez took P3 and denied Nepa a first appearance on the rostrum, whilst Matteo Bertelle took P5 despite starting from pole.

There was late heartbreak for Britain’s Scott Ogden who crashed at the last corner on the last lap after contact with David Almansa (Leopard Racing) and despite his best efforts to not crash, it ended in the gravel, just metres from the finishing line. Dennis Foggia’s (CFMOTO Aspar Team) return to Moto3 thus saw him in P6, with Almansa P7, Rossi promoted into eighth and the top ten rounded out by Joel Esteban (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) and the recovering Lunetta. Points were scored on his debut for Ruche Moodley in 11^th, whilst the rest of the scorers were Piqueras, Marco Uriarte (GRYD – MLav Racing), Adrian Cruces (CIP Green Power) and Buchanan, who remounted after his Lap 1 fall to take the final place and point.

Six-time MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez was fastest  in the MotoGP warmup session Sunday morning at Chang International Circuit, in Thailand. Riding his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP25 on Michelin control tires, the Sprint race winner led the 22-rider field with a time of 1:29.460 around the 2.82-mile (4.55 km) circuit.

Alex Marquez was second-best with a 1:29.822 on his BK8 Gresini Racing Ducati Desmosedici, and the two-time MotoGP World Champion Francesco Bagnaia jumped up the order to third with a time of 1:29.885 on his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP25. 

The full-length MotoGP race is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. Local Time.

Marc Marquez won the MotoGP Tissot Sprint race Saturday afternoon at Chang International Circuit, in Thailand. Riding his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP25 on Michelin control tires, the Six-time MotoGP World Champion won the 13-lap race by 1.185 seconds.

Alex Marquez was the runner-up on his BK8 Gresini Racing Ducati Desmosedici.

Saturday perfection: Marc Marquez soars to stunning Sprint victory. The six-time MotoGP Champion fends off Alex Marquez to earn a first gold medal of the season as Bagnaia holds off Ogura for P3. 

The triple in Thailand is well and truly on for Marc Marquez as the new Ducati Lenovo Team recruit pockets a scintillating Tissot Sprint victory to secure a perfect Saturday to ignite his 2025 title charge. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) backed up his front row in qualifying with a P2 to earn his first Saturday silver medal, while Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) earned some valuable points after having to settle for P3 in the first Sprint of the campaign.

It was lights out for 2025 and Marc Marquez made the dream launch from pole position to pocket the holeshot. Pecco slotted into an early P2 but on the run into Turn 3, Alex Marquez stole P2 back. Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) swooped around the outside at Turn 1 to clinch an early P4, with Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) P5.

At the start of Lap 3, Marquez – of the Marc variety – was 0.6s clear of his younger brother Alex. Bagnaia was a further second off the tailpipes of the Gresini star, with Ogura keeping the two-time MotoGP Champion on his toes. And a lap later, it was still the case – Ogura was shadowing Pecco, with the latter losing touch on the top two in the early stages.

After a shocking launch that saw him drop to the rear of the field, Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) was making good progress. The Italian was P14, but Aprilia’s attention was on Ogura in P4, who was still shadowing Bagnaia.

Drama unfolded for Miller with seven laps left, the Aussie was on the floor at Turn 8 from P6, which promoted Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) to top Yamaha in P6. That was soon P7, as a small error at Turn 8 allowed Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to carve through.

Back at the front, Marc Marquez was 1.1s clear of Alex Marquez heading into the closing five laps. Bagnaia was 1.2s in arrears of the #73 and now, the Italian was the fastest rider on track. Ogura was now 0.5s behind Bagnaia, with Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) a lonely P5.

Three to go. Between the top three, it was pretty much as you were. Ogura’s podium hopes were seemingly slipping away as the Japanese star dropped to 0.8s off Bagnaia, but the rookie sensation has 1.8s to play with back to Morbidelli.

Two to go. Bagnaia’s efforts of trying to close down Alex Marquez for P2 had run out of steam and heading onto the final lap of the first Sprint of 2025, Marc Marquez was able to cruise home. The perfect Saturday was secured for the six-time MotoGP World Champion and for the first time since 2019, the #93 was at the summit of the MotoGP World Championship.

In the end, it was a comfortable P2 for Alex Marquez as Bagnaia claimed P3 to open his points account for the year. Ride of the day goes to rookie Ogura, a magnificent P4 sees the reigning Moto2 World Champion finish less than a second behind Pecco, 1.3s ahead of Morbidelli and over six seconds ahead of last year’s rookie star Acosta. It was P6 for the #37, P7 for Quartararo, P8 for Binder and a hard earned P9 for Honda HRC Castrol’s Joan Mir as the 2020 World Champion and Japanese manufacturer see light at the end of the tunnel.

Pole position, Tissot Sprint win… can Marc Marquez notch up a perfect weekend in Thailand to really launch his factory Ducati career into life heading to Argentina? He’s going to take some stopping, but don’t discount Alex Marquez and Bagnaia just yet. 

Tune into the first Grand Prix of the season at 15:00 local time (UTC +7) from Buriram. You do not want to miss it.

Matteo Bertelle earned pole position during Moto3 World Championship qualifying Saturday at Chang International Circuit, in Thailand. Riding his LEVELUP-MTA KTM on Pirelli control tires, Bertelle topped the 26-rider field with a lap time of 1:40.400.

Stefano Nepa was the best of the rest with a 1:40.482 on his SIC58 Squadra Corse Honda, and Jose Antonio Rueda claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:40.496 on his Red Bull KTM Ajo.

Moto3QualifyingResults

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Stunning Bertelle takes first Moto3™ pole. In tune all weekend, the #18 will go from the front of the grid for the very first time. 

The Moto3™ World Championship’s first pole-sitter has been set after a tight and competitive qualifying session in Buriram. With track temperature rising close to the 60-degree centigrade mark, it was a hotly contested session and one with many key topics. Taking honours come the conclusion of it all, Matteo Bertelle (LEVEL-UP MTA) continued his mighty form from throughout the weekend to bag a first career pole.

After the first runs in Q1, it was home hero Tatchakorn Buasri (Honda Team Asia) who stole the show and was P1 with five minutes remaining ahead of a host of rookies, such as Alvaro Carpe, Valentin Perrone and replacement rider, Adrian Cruces (CIP Green Power), in place of Noah Dettwiler. Carpe toppled Buasri for top spot but both went through to Q2 for the first time, along with Dennis Foggia (CFMOTO Aspar Team) and Eddie O’Shea (GRYD – MLav Racing), the Brit likewise making a first-time appearance in Q2.

It was a whole different story in Q2 though as they faced the likes of Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Matteo Bertelle (LEVEL-UP MTA) and Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI), all of whom topped sessions during the weekend. Bertelle was strong from the start and led the field after the first flying lap and on his second, towed teammate Joel Kelso into P2, with the strategy working well for the team at the midway point. Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) hauled himself into P3 before the second and final stint of fast laps got underway.

Opting to set lap times on his own, Yamanaka climbed into the top ten whilst the main train of riders were all in a group and would have three timed laps to give it all they’ve got for pole. Their penultimate lap was the one that saw many of them improve, with Carpe jumping to fifth and Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) one place ahead of him. Stefano Nepa (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was another late improver going up into P2, one place ahead of Rueda who carried on his form but it’s a first pole for Matteo Bertelle, his first front row since Sepang 2023.

Ogden held onto fourth with Lunetta eventually taking fifth, just ahead of top rookie Carpe. The third row is the best of the Leopard Racing Honda’s with David Almansa, ahead of Kelso, Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) and David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) who completes the top ten.

Manuel Gonzalez earned pole position during Moto2 World Championship qualifying Saturday at Chang International Circuit, in Thailand. Riding his Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP Kalex on Pirelli control tires, the Spaniard turned a 1:34.634 to top the field of 28 riders.

Italian rider, Celestino Vietti was second-best with a 1:34.670 on his Team HDR Heidrun Boscoscuro.

Spaniard Aron Canet claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:34.839 on his Fantic Racing Lino Song Kalex.

American Joe Roberts was 27th on his OnlyFans American Racing Team Kalex. 

Moto2QualifyingResults

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

On song Gonzalez grabs Buriram pole. The Spaniard edges out Q1 graduate Vietti in an intensely fought first Moto2 fight for pole position of 2025. 

Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) is your first Moto2™ polesitter of the season as the Spaniard converted his impressive Test and Thai GP Practice pace into a Saturday afternoon P1. Celestino Vietti (Team HDR Heidrun) came through Q1 to grab P2 and land a lap just 0.036s off Gonzalez’s 1:34.634, with Aron Canet (Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO) 0.205s shy of pole in P3.

The bulk of the fastest laps came once the riders had slotted fresh rubber into their Triumph-powered machines, with four tenths of the second splitting the fastest nine riders in Q2. Behind the leading trio comes Senna Agius as Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP see their riders spearhead Row 1 and 2 for the opening race of the season – a top job from the Australian sophomore.

Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing LINO SONEGO) and Darryn Binder (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) – the South African also coming through Q1 – will launch from P5 and P6 respectively. Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) notched up his best time late on, the British rider starts P8 behind seventh place Marcos Ramirez (OnlyFans American Racing) and ahead of ninth quickest Alonso Lopez (Team HDR Heidrun).

Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) completed the top 10, while Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) acted as the fastest rookie – the Spaniard launches from P15, just behind 14th place Mario Aji (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia). 

Tune into the opening Moto2™ race of the season, from Thailand, at 13:15 local time (UTC+7).

Marc Marquez claimed pole position during MotoGP qualifying Saturday at Chang International Circuit, in Thailand. Riding his Lenovo Ducati Desmosedici GP25 on the dry 2.82-mile (4.55 km) track, Marquez turned a 1:28.782 to top the field of 22 riders.

His brother, Alex Marquez was the best of the rest with a 1:28.928 on his BK8 Gresini Racing Ducati desmosedici.

Marc Marquez’s teammate, Francesco Bagnaia claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:28.955. 

Row-two qualifiers included Prima Pramac Yamaha’s Jack Miller (1:29.090), the rookie Ai Ogura (1:29.134) on his Trackhouse MotoGP Team Aprilia RS-GP and Franco Morbidelli on his Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team Ducati (1:29.171).

More, from a press release issued by Dorna: 

Marc Marquez storms to maiden factory Ducati pole in Buriram. New in the factory Ducati team, the six-time MotoGP™ World Champion was straight down to business and will start the Sprint and Grand Prix from pole. 

The first gloves-off track action of the season lit up the Chang International Circuit as the PT Grand Prix of Thailand’s qualifying sessions headlined Saturday morning. With big names needing to come through from Q1, it was always going to be a blockbuster affair but the form book came true right at the head of the field with Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) snatching a maiden factory Ducati pole on his debut for the team.

Q1 SCRAMBLE: Pecco in close company

The first part of qualifying? Get through to Q2; having been caught out at the end of Practice yesterday, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) had to clear Q1 and cement himself in the 12-rider shootout. After two laps, he was already straight down and on pace that would have been more than good enough on Friday to put him straight through and thus bagged a slot to move to Q2.

After the first runs were done, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) was sitting pretty but with the second half of the session to go, anything was possible. The #49 was shuffled back due to some big surprises; Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP™) put in two laps to propel himself into contention and despite late attempts by Di Giannantonio and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), the Australian held on and partnered ex-teammate Bagnaia into Q2. Home-hero Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda LCR) goes from P21 for his home debut.

Q2 SHOOTOUT: The Marquez brothers vs Bagnaia

The 15 minutes fired up with Pecco the first rider to bank a lap time but it wasn’t as quick as his Q1 effort; teammate Marc Marquez did however rocket into P1 with a lap time good enough to challenge – but not quite surpass – Pecco’s lap record from 2024. Brother Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP™) was right behind the #93 whilst rookie sensation Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Racing MotoGP) was a surprise in third as the first runs came to conclusion. Pecco had slipped to P5 ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) but a frenetic showdown was building for the last six minutes.

FINAL MOMENTS: late improvers and yellow flags

Having come through Q1 with the #63, Miller followed him to set a stonking lap time, good enough for the second row in P4. Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) went onto row two too with P6 whilst double MotoGP Champion Bagnaia responded and put himself in P3. With just less than three minutes to go, Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) fell at Turn 3, bringing out the yellow flags for a brief moment.

As quickly as they were withdrawn, they were back out for a second time due to a fall for Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol), hampering Marc Marquez’s latest attempt. Even with pole seemingly sorted, he had one final lap to try and set a new lap record and had his brother ahead on track as a reference. In the end, it wasn’t to be and the #93 took a maiden factory Ducati pole ahead of his brother in P2 and teammate in P3.

THE CHARGE BEHIND: Miller and Ogura steal headlines

With a very impressive return to Prima Pramac and indeed on their debut with Yamaha, Jack Miller took P4 and his best qualifying result since he was P5 in Austria last year. Ogura was an astounding P5 on his debut and top Aprilia, with Morbidelli just 0.037s adrift of the rookie in sixth. A late lap from Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) sees him as best KTM in heading up the third row in P7, with Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing MotoGP) in the middle of the third row and with a best Buriram qualifying performance, ahead of Bezzecchi who will have hoped for more. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™), Joan Mir and Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) rounded out the running and will be in a fierce battle for points.

Matteo Bertelle led Moto3 World Championship practice Friday afternoon at Chang International Circuit, in Thailand. Bertelle used his Pirelli-shod LEVELUP-MTA KTM to lap the 2.82-mile (4.55 km) track in 1:40.931, which led the field of 25 riders. 

SIC58 Squadra Corse’s Stefano Nepa was second-best with a time of 1:41.166.

Jose Antonio Rueda, piloting his Red Bull KTM Ajo, claimed the third and final spot on the front with a lap time of 1:41.191.

More, from a press release issued by Dorna:

Brilliant Bertelle lands Buriram Friday honours. The Italian sets the only 1:40 lap time in PR as Nepa and Rueda complete the first competitive top three of 2025 in Moto3™. 

Matteo Bertelle (LEVELUP-MTA) set the only sub-1:41 lap time of Moto3™ Practice at the PT Grand Prix of Thailand to head into the first qualifying day of 2025 as the rider to beat. The Italian’s 1:40.931 was a couple of tenths quicker than compatriot Stefano Nepa’s (SIC58 Squadra Corse) best effort in P2, as Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jose Antonio Rueda completed the top three as the lightweight class got to grips with a fresh Friday afternoon schedule. 

Now in line with MotoGP™, Friday’s Practice outing is where it counts in the fight to get straight into Q2. Conditions were tougher than the cooler morning temperatures, and that reflected in the times. Most riders improved later into the session, as expected, with Bertelle dipping his toes into the 1:40 bracket on Lap 14 of 17.

And no one was able to get within two tenths. Nepa, Rueda and fourth place Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) – this morning’s pacesetter – were the only riders who sit under three tenths away from the #18. Angel Piqueras (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI) rounded out the top five as the 2024 Rookie of the Year settles into life as a KTM rider.

Despite a late crash at Turn 5, Adrian Fernandez (Leopard Racing) safely made it into the top 14, as did Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) after the Japanese rider crashed at Turn 9 in FP1. Unfortunately for Furusato’s teammate and home hero, Tatchakorn Buasri, a fast off at Turn 4 towards the end of the session ended his hopes of a first Q2 entry – the Thai star finished P16. 

Free Practice 2 takes place at 8:40 local time (UTC +7) before the first qualifying sessions of the season get underway at 12:50.