Bezzecchi Blitzes Buriram

Aprilia dominates Thailand race but a KTM leads the championship as Marquez’s suffers catastrophic failure

Sunshine baked the Buriram circuit as the Thailand MotoGP feature race got underway, with everyone still buzzing after the Marquez–Acosta scrap the day before. The question was whether Bezzecchi could convert his obvious pace into a clean Sunday, and whether Fernandez could sustain the speed he’d shown all weekend.

Bezzecchi nailed the start and led Marquez into Turn 1. Early on, Alex Marquez jumped ahead of Acosta for sixth into Turn 3, while Bagnaia made a poor start and fell outside the top ten. Fernandez soon shoved past Marquez through Turn 7, and Bezzecchi immediately began to escape, the gap opening to around eight tenths within a lap. Martin briefly made it an Aprilia top three, but Marc Marquez responded immedietely on the straight.

It quickly became clear Marquez was vulnerable under hard braking into the right-handers. By Lap 3, Bezzecchi led by just over a second with Fernandez controlling the chase, while Martin pressured Marquez and a train formed behind them. Acosta picked off Di Giannantonio for fifth into Turn 12, then on Lap 4 Martin passed Marquez into Turn 3 and Acosta repeated the Turn 12 move to drop Marquez to fifth—suddenly there were no Ducatis in the top four.

Bezzecchi inexorably extended the gap, with Martin and Acosta squabbling behind. From Laps 7 to 10, Acosta attacked Martin repeatedly—often at Turn 12—only for Martin to power the Aprilia back past. Their fight eventually slowed them enough for Marquez to blast by both on the back straight, but Acosta immediately responded to retake position, setting up another Acosta–Marquez duel for the final podium spot.

At mid-distance, the race started spread – Bezzecchi built a clear cushion over Fernandez, and Fernandez had a margin back to Acosta. Behind, the Ducati day continued to look oddly subdued, while Ogura began to show serious pace and started taking chunks out of the riders ahead, including a bold outbraking move on Bagnaia into Turn 12. Mir was impressing as the top Honda as he passed Di Giannantonio at Turn 12 for sixth.

Bezzecchi’s rhythm was crushing—stringing together consistent 1:31.1s—and by Lap 17 he led by three seconds, riding within himself. However Fernandez’s pace suddenly collapsed on Lap 20 as Acosta closed rapidly. Marquez was also beginning to set fastest laps, hinting at a late push, but the race turned on Lap 21 when Marquez suffered a puncture and ran off at Turn 4 at high speed as the tyre came off the rim, ending his challenge. Moments later, Alex Marquez crashed at Turn 4, deepening Ducati’s misery, and Mir suddenly slowed with tyre trouble as well.

Up ahead, Acosta passed Fernandez and immediately gapped him, while Ogura continued the Aprilia charge to move up again, putting four Aprilias in the top five. Out front, Bezzecchi managed his worn rear tyre and cruised home for a dominant win, his crew holding their breath as his rear Michelin started to show signs of serious detereoration. Acosta took a strong second, and Fernandez clung on bravely for third ahead of Martin, with Ogura completing the top five as Aprilia celebrated a huge result. Ducati’s 88 race podium streak finally ended, Marquez’s puncture leaving a bitter taste for the usually dominant manufacturer.

Further back, Di Giannantonio brought his Ducati home sixth ahead of Binder in seventh and Morbidelli in eighth, with Bagnaia struggling to ninth – a poor start given his hopes of a form turnaround from 2025. In the championship, Acosta leads on 32 points, with Bezzecchi second on 25, Fernandez third on 23, and Martin fourth on 18 – a much better start to the season than last year for the former champion.

Marco Bezzecchi – P1
“Yesterday was a small mistake with a bit big consequence. So was important today to try to bounce back. My pace was good with the medium. We worked super well all the weekend. So I knew that I could be fast if I was in front. So I tried my all to make a good start, and the bike was perfect. The guys made an amazing job. I want to thank them. I want to thank all my friends at home that wake up so early to see me, and my mum.”

Pedro Acosta – P2
“We have to be happy the team is working super good. Remembering how we started last year here, I struggled to take points, and this year we take back-to-back podiums. For this, we have to be super happy. Thanks for KTM… for sure, [they] were pushing in the early morning. Just also thanks everyone that supported me, because last year, the start was not the dream one, and we survived to make it this. Thanks to everyone at home, my close friends, my management group, and my coach. Thank you, boys.”

Raul Fernandez – P3
“It was quite difficult, especially the last five-six laps. I tried to make my maximum, but I had destroyed the rear tire. Anyway, we start super well. We made a decision today in the warm up, I felt super good with the medium tyre. The problem was that I tried to manage but I couldn’t end the race as I wanted. Anyway, we are on the podium. We’ve taken really important points so let’s just enjoy the moment and try to be relaxed. Try to know that our potential is here. The team did a super fantastic job with Aprilia, so let’s keep doing this.”

THAILAND ROUND 1 MOTOGP RACE

2026 MOTOGP CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS