Statement made? Marc Marquez tops Day 1 by half a second

The #93 blasts out the blocks in Buriram with a big laptime on Wednesday, but there was PLENTY to talk about up and down the grid.

Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) can’t be accused of sandbagging in Buriram. If he is, the low Jaws music isn’t loud enough yet. 0.465 clear at the top, it’s the first time he’s been P1 on a test day since Jerez 2020. Next up was another Ducati: Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing MotoGP), who can likely take even more from that at a venue that’s not Sepang, which is one of his best. Third it’s a Ducati triple threat with Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team). But there’s plenty happening.

THE DECISION
At Ducati, the engine choice for 2025 – even more vital since that’s frozen for 2026 too – rolls on. It’s chiefly in the hands of Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Marc Marquez, or the feedback they give, but there is that small detail that last year’s Ducati was arguably so far ahead anyway… they may still prove so even if they don’t field everything they’ve been trying or much else. Bagnaia was eighth on Day 1 with a low 1:30, some space off his own lap record here.

Rookie Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Racing MotoGP), the final rider on a Ducati at the test, did a 1:30.373 to take P14 and reopen the duel of the debutants as Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) was just 0.080 behind.

BEDDING IN
Speaking of Aprilia, it was a promising day for the Noale factory. After the high drama of the start to the Sepang Test and the ongoing absence of reigning Champion Jorge Martin, a lot has come down to Marco Bezzecchi and the Italian put his Aprilia Racing machine in fourth overall, a big step up on the timesheets at least. He sounds pretty positive about it too, and is sharing the box with test rider Lorenzo Savadori. Ogura’s teammate Raul Fernandez was also back out for Trackhouse MotoGP Team after being declared fit, and he managed to do a fair few laps and got into the 1:30s despite being on the road to recovery.

At KTM, Pedro Acosta led the way – fifth overall and into the 1:29s. His Tissot Sprint simulation looked positive too, with an average laptime around four tenths quicker than Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Brad Binder at the GP in 2024. At the test, Binder was ninth overall, denied entry to the 1:29 club by hundredths. At Red Bull KTM Tech3, Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales continued to look to better adapt, in P16 and P18 respectively by the end of play. Between the two, Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), another finding his way on new machinery.

His teammate Jack Miller was further up the timesheets in P10 and was actually the top Yamaha on Day 1. Alex Rins and Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) were P12 and P13 respectively, but how much more will we see on Day 2?

MOVING ON UP
Meanwhile, Honda had a really positive showing on the timesheets. Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) took P6 and Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda LCR) P7 – the final riders into the 1:29 bracket. Faster than Honda have ever been here before on a day where that wasn’t true for others, the positive signs continued. Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) was P11 and rookie Somkiat Chantra (Idemitsu Honda LCR) continued chipping away at his improvements a little further down the order as he preps for his MotoGP debut on home turf. They’ve tested at Buriram – that was new test rider Aleix Espargaro’s first port of call in 2025 – and that’s exactly what their free testing allowance is for in their concessions. Moving forward.

That 0.465 looks like a glove thrown down on Day 1. But it’s also a hand shown – so do the rest have a reply? We’ll find out tomorrow when the final day of testing concludes. Join us then for more and check out more from Day 1 in the meantime.

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