Bezzecchi dominates Buriram opener as Acosta leads championship after Buriram Thailand thriller. The Aprilia star storms to victory in Thailand ahead of Acosta and Fernandez, while a puncture ends Marc Marquez’s race and Ducati’s podium streak. Report: BikeReview/MotoGP Press

Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying
MotoGP

Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing #72) wasted no time stamping his authority on the opening round of the 2026 MotoGP World Championship, smashing the Buriram lap record on Friday with a stunning 1:28.526. The Italian’s effort bettered his own test benchmark and left the field chasing shadows on the opening day of the season.

Bezzecchi completed a clean sweep of Friday by topping both sessions, finishing four tenths clear of reigning World Champion Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team #93), who salvaged second late in the session after briefly looking at risk of missing the automatic Q2 spots.

Read our other race content here… and Full Qualifying from Buriram here...

Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team #49) completed the top three after leading the timesheets for much of the session, showing impressive consistency across his runs. Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing #37) continued his strong pre-season form in fourth, while Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing #89) returned to competition in style to claim fifth despite a small crash earlier in the day.

Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #73) ended the day sixth ahead of Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol #36), who was Honda’s top performer in seventh. Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing #33) secured a Q2 berth in eighth, while rookie Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team #79) finished ninth despite a late fall at Turn 7. Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR #5) rounded out the top ten.

The biggest shock of the session came for Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team #63), who failed to improve late in the session and ended Practice down in 15th, forcing the two-time MotoGP champion into Q1.

Moto2

2025 Thai Grand Prix winner Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #18) picked up where he left off by topping Friday’s rain-hit Moto2 Practice with a new all-time lap record of 1:34.501.

Agius got Pole in Moto2.

Alex Escrig (KLINT Racing Team #11) and Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 #28) completed the top three, separated by just 0.185 seconds, while several high-profile names were caught out by worsening conditions.

David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team #80) was among the riders left frustrated after rain arrived in Sector 1 late in the session, dropping the Colombian to 22nd and forcing him into a stacked Q1 session alongside race winners including Alonso Lopez, Joe Roberts, Tony Arbolino, Deniz Öncü and Aron Canet. Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team #27) and Mario Aji (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia #64) finished fourth and fifth respectively, while Australia’s Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #81) impressed with sixth fastest.

Moto3

Moto3’s opening day in Thailand saw David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #22) set the early pace as the Spaniard topped Friday’s Practice session. Almansa was the only rider to dip into the 1:40s with a best lap that left him just under a tenth clear of fellow Spaniard Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo #83). Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3 #73) completed the top three after an impressive showing for the Argentine.

Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team #28) finished fourth ahead of teammate Marco Morelli, while Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power #19) rounded out the top six in an all-KTM-heavy session. Honda’s best performer was rookie Jesus Rios (Rivacold Snipers Team #74) in seventh, just ahead of Indonesian debutant Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia #54). Irish rider Casey O’Gorman (SIC58 Squadra Corse #67) also impressed in 13th, securing a direct place in Q2.

One of the big names to miss out was David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #64), who ended the day 16th and was forced to fight through Q1.

Saturday
Tissot Sprint

The 2026 MotoGP season erupted into life with an instant classic at Buriram as Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) claimed his first ever Sprint victory after a breathtaking duel with reigning World Champion Marc Marquez. The 13-lap dash delivered fireworks from the start as Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) initially led the race after an early scrap with Marquez before disaster struck on Lap 2 when the Italian crashed at Turn 8 while leading comfortably.

That moment handed the lead to Marquez, but Acosta immediately went on the attack. The KTM star launched multiple attempts at the Ducati rider over the following laps, each pass becoming increasingly aggressive as the tension built. Acosta finally made a decisive move late in the race, but contact between the pair on the penultimate lap brought the stewards into action. Marquez lunged up the inside at Turn 12 and made contact with Acosta, forcing the KTM rider wide.

Race Direction immediately launched an investigation and handed Marquez a one-position penalty. The Spaniard served it dramatically at the final corner, backing off to allow Acosta through before trying to strike back on the exit.

Acosta crossed the line to take his maiden Sprint win and become the first KTM rider to lead the MotoGP World Championship. Marquez held on for second, narrowly keeping Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team #25) behind as the Aprilia rider completed the podium. Fernandez’s teammate Ai Ogura finished fourth in an impressive performance for the Trackhouse squad, while Jorge Martin completed the top five on his return to racing with Aprilia. Further back, Brad Binder, Joan Mir and Fabio Di Giannantonio filled the next three positions, while Francesco Bagnaia salvaged the final Sprint point in ninth.

“This is an incredible way to start the season. The fight with Marc was intense and fair, and taking my first Sprint win like this feels amazing,” Acosta said.

Tissot Sprint Race Results
Pedro Acosta Red Bull KTM
Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo (+0.000s)
Raul Fernandez Trackhouse Aprilia
Ai Ogura Trackhouse Aprilia
Jorge Martin Aprilia Racing

Sunday
MotoGP

Marco Bezzecchi delivered the perfect response to his Sprint crash by dominating Sunday’s PT Grand Prix of Thailand and giving Aprilia Racing a dream start to the 2026 MotoGP season.

The Italian converted pole position into a commanding victory at Buriram, finishing comfortably ahead of Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) in a race packed with drama.

The result also ended Ducati’s remarkable podium streak of 88 consecutive Grands Prix, the first time since the 2021 British Grand Prix that no Ducati rider finished on the Sunday rostrum. Bezzecchi grabbed the holeshot at the start and immediately established a strong rhythm at the front, while Fernandez wasted no time attacking Marc Marquez for second place at Turn 7 on the opening lap.

Jorge Martin briefly joined the battle before Acosta began carving his way through the field. The KTM rider dispatched Marquez at Turn 12 and then fought his way past Martin to move into podium contention. As Bezzecchi controlled the race from the front, the fight behind intensified between Acosta, Fernandez and Marquez. The reigning champion remained within striking distance until disaster struck late in the race when a rear tyre puncture forced the Ducati rider to retire.

More drama followed when Alex Marquez crashed out at Turn 4 and Joan Mir was also forced to retire with tyre problems after running strongly inside the top six. With chaos unfolding behind him, Bezzecchi cruised to victory to secure his third consecutive Grand Prix win following his triumphs in Portugal and Valencia last season.

Acosta produced another superb ride to finish second and leave Thailand as the MotoGP World Championship leader, while Fernandez battled through shoulder pain to secure a double Round 1 podium for the Trackhouse Aprilia team.

Jorge Martin marked his return to racing with a strong fourth place finish ahead of rookie Ai Ogura, while Fabio Di Giannantonio was the top Ducati rider in sixth. Brad Binder finished seventh ahead of Franco Morbidelli and Francesco Bagnaia, while Luca Marini rounded out the top ten.

“It’s incredible to start the season like this. After the Sprint crash we stayed calm, trusted the bike and today everything worked perfectly,” Bezzecchi said.

MotoGP Race Results
Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing
Pedro Acosta Red Bull KTM (+)
Raul Fernandez Trackhouse Aprilia (+)
Jorge Martin Aprilia Racing
Ai Ogura Trackhouse Aprilia

Check out the full MotoGP race results here…

MotoGP Championship Points
Pedro Acosta Red Bull KTM – 32
Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing – 25
Raul Fernandez Trackhouse Aprilia – 16
Jorge Martin Aprilia Racing – 13
Ai Ogura Trackhouse Aprilia – 11

Moto2

Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) launched his 2026 Moto2 title campaign in perfect fashion with victory in a dramatic season opener at Buriram.

The race was interrupted twice by red flags before a seven-lap sprint decided the outcome. Gonzalez eventually defeated Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) in a tense late-race duel, while Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team) secured the final podium position.

Guevara initially grabbed the holeshot but early chaos saw several riders run wide, allowing Holgado to take the lead before the first red flag appeared following a crash involving Senna Agius, David Alonso and Filip Salac.

After a second restart and a seven-lap dash to the finish, Gonzalez stalked Guevara before making a decisive move at Turn 7 on the penultimate lap. Guevara attempted a final attack around the outside at the last corner but Gonzalez held firm to claim the opening victory of the season.

Moto2 Race Results
Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP
Izan Guevara BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 (+)
Daniel Holgado CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team (+)
Ivan Ortola QJMOTOR – Pont Grup – MSI
Collin Veijer Red Bull KTM Ajo

Moto2 Championship Points
Manuel Gonzalez – 25
Izan Guevara – 20
Daniel Holgado – 16
Ivan Ortola – 13
Collin Veijer – 11

Moto3

Moto3 delivered its usual chaos to kick off the 2026 season as David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) secured his maiden Grand Prix victory in a breathtaking final-corner showdown with Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team).

The pair battled throughout the race before Quiles launched a last-gasp attack at the final corner. Almansa defended perfectly and powered to the line to win by just 0.003 seconds — equalling the closest finish in Moto3 history.

Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) completed the podium after winning a late battle for third ahead of Alvaro Carpe.

Moto3 Race Results
David Almansa Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP
Maximo Quiles CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar (+0.003s)
Valentin Perrone Red Bull KTM Tech3 (+)
Alvaro Carpe Red Bull KTM Ajo
Veda Pratama Honda Team Asia

Moto3 Championship Points
David Almansa – 25
Maximo Quiles – 20
Valentin Perrone – 16
Alvaro Carpe – 13
Veda Pratama – 11

How Did the Aussies Do?

It was a challenging opening round of the 2026 MotoGP season for Australia’s riders at Buriram.
Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) faced a tough weekend aboard the Yamaha package. After qualifying down in 18th, the Queenslander fought through the opening race but ultimately crossed the line in 15th place, finishing as the best of Yamaha’s four riders in the Thai Grand Prix despite the bike’s clear pace deficit.

In Moto3, Joel Kelso (GRYD – MLav Racing) endured a difficult race after showing flashes of speed earlier in the weekend. The Australian eventually finished 14th in the season opener, just over 17 seconds behind race winner David Almansa.

In Moto2, Senna Agius’ weekend was one of mixed fortunes. The young Australian delivered a stunning performance in qualifying to claim his first Moto2 pole position, but his race unravelled early after being caught up in a multi-rider incident that triggered the first red flag. Although able to take the restart, the drama effectively ended his chances of fighting for the podium.

Despite the tough start to the season for Australia’s contingent, all three riders will be eager to bounce back when the MotoGP paddock heads to Brazil for Round 2.

 

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