Marc Marquez sets the fastest lap, but there are still doubts at Ducati regarding the engine: here’s the full grid from the first day of tests in Buriram.
On the first day of testing in Thailand, Marc Márquez took the top spot with a lap time of 1:29.184. The Spanish rider posted the fastest time with a margin of almost half a second over his brother Alex, who closely followed in the times. For Márquez, now riding for Ducati, it’s the first time since 2020 at the Jerez tests that he leads a pre-season session.
Completing the podium were Alex Marquez’s GP24 (2nd) and Franco Morbidelli’s (3rd), while Pecco Bagnaia’s GP25 only managed eighth place. At Borgo Panigale, there are still doubts about which engine to use during the season, with a decision likely to be made just days before the first race, set to take place here in Thailand.
Jorge Martin was absent, but Aprilia achieved a good time with Marco Bezzecchi (4th), the fastest non-Ducati rider on track. On the other hand, the satellite team struggled, with Ai Ogura in fifteenth and Raul Fernandez in nineteenth
KTM’s official team made significant progress, with results that give Austrian fans hope: Acosta, however, remained the fastest rider on track. On the other side of the box, Tech3 continues to underperform, with Bastianini in sixteenth and Vinales in eighteenth.
The big surprise of the day was undoubtedly Honda, which placed three of its four riders in the top eleven: Marini (6th), Zarco (7th), and Mir (11th). A great performance for the Japanese brand, in stark contrast to a Yamaha team that seemed to struggle more than in the Sepang tests.
Photo: MotoGP, Marc Marquez