Day 1 of roasting hot action from Thailand has concluded and an electric opening day gives us plenty of topics to get stuck into. The 25th different venue to host the season-opening Grand Prix, the nerves and anticipation of a new season quickly turned into storylines and chapters for the remainder of the PT Grand Prix of Thailand. Coming out on top and breezing into Q2, it was Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP™) ahead of brother Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) at the top, with sophomore Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) up in third.
STARTING STRONG: Marquez with company in Practice, Honda strong again
Swiftly underway, it was Marc Marquez and Acosta who exchanged places at the top of the standings in Practice. Having come into the session off the back of a rapid FP1 and Buriram Test, the six-time MotoGP Champion’s venture in red is off to a mighty start but he has close competition. Not only was Acosta strong but the Honda entourage were right in the mix, with Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) climbing to P1 with 20 minutes left. Elsewhere, Honda HRC Castrol riders Luca Marini and Joan Mir continued their FP1 form and were third and fifth respectively heading for the time attacks that awaited in the final quarter of an hour. With less than a second splitting the top 15, an epic crescendo was building to close of the first day of 2025’s season.
With all riders seeking to snatch a top ten placing and go directly into Q2, the pace dropped in the final 15 minutes as Acosta returned to the top before Marquez, like previously at the start of the session, wrestled it back. Brother Alex Marquez followed the #93 to P2 with ten minutes remaining on the clock, whereas Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) briefly popped ahead of Francesco Bagnaia, leaving the Italian out of the crucial top ten but the #63 struck back, moving into P9.
PECCO’S PROBLEMS: a Friday to forget in Thailand
The clocked ticked down and soon, the last five minutes were upon the field, all riders still with a point to prove and get their place locked in for Q2 on Saturday morning. However, yellow flags and riding slowly on the racing line would hamper Pecco – both on separate occasions. First, yellow flags halted a first charge to improve his lap time. With a couple of minutes to go, other riders improved, leaving the double MotoGP World Champion out of the top ten. Then, on his final flying lap, he encountered Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) on the exit of Turn 5 going slow on the racing line and that was that. The two gesticulated on track with a clear disagreement and the FIM MotoGP Stewards decided to investigate. The result? A 3-place grid penalty for Morbidelli. And Bagnaia’s 13th place in Practice leaves him angry in Q1 for the first time since Valencia in 2023.
DIRECTLY INTO Q2: a different Marquez takes hold
As the two Italians took the limelight, a myriad of improvements elsewhere: Alex Marquez beat brother Marc to top spot as both booked a place in Q2, ahead of a rapid and competitive Acosta who is the sole KTM representative directly into Q2, Bezzecchi – despite his fall – and Morbidelli.
Honda’s strength was clear once more as for the first time since 2023’s Indian Grand Prix, two go straight into Q2 from Practice: Mir in P6 and Zarco in P9. Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™) took eighth but suffered late drama with his bike being wheeled onto the service road after the chequered flag. Top rookie honours went to an impressive Ai Ogura, becoming the third Aprilia in Q2 directly in P9 after teammate Raul Fernandez’s last lap charge to P7. For the first time since Indonesia in 2023, all five manufacturers are into Q2 straight from Practice.
BIG NAMES OUT: Viñales, Binder and Miller join Bagnaia in Q1
As ever, Q1 will be hotly contested but with Pecco in contention, there’ll be plenty of names aiming to get their first big scalp of the season. Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) seems to have found pace but Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) struggled; either way, both are in Q2, along with Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP™) who suffered a Turn 12 fall early on.
In his comeback day after injury, Di Giannantonio was P15 ahead of Marini who didn’t feature in the final minutes in contention for a top ten. Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP™, Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP™), Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech 3), Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP™), home-hero Somkiat Chantra (IDEMITSU LCR Honda) and Lorenzo Savadori (Aprilia Racing) all feature in Q1. Chantra also has a grid penalty of three positions for also slowing Alex Marquez.
With 18 riders covered by less than a second, Sprint Saturday awaits: don’t miss more MotoGP action!
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