Marco Bezzecchi has convincingly won the Thailand Grand Prix, dominating the race from start to finish, providing a spectacular victory for the Aprilia team. This victory marks the first time in five years that Ducati has missed out on a podium spot.
After a crash during Saturday’s sprint race, Bezzecchi showed impeccable performance during the main race, leading every lap and crossing the finish line with a 5.5-second advantage.
This is the seventh victory for the Italian rider in MotoGP and the third consecutive win, having triumphed in the last two races of the 2025 season.
As the 2026 season began, Bezzecchi made a perfect start from pole position with his Aprilia factory bike. At the same time, Raúl Fernández from Trackhouse overtook Marc Márquez at turn 7, placing two RS-GPs at the front.
The two riders began to distance themselves from the other competitors, benefiting from an intense battle for third place involving Márquez, Jorge Martín, and Pedro Acosta. Defending champion Márquez faced initial difficulties adapting to the pace, losing positions but reclaiming them after a double maneuver on lap 10.
However, Acosta demonstrated superior pace and moved back into third place with a decisive advance over Márquez at turn 8. Despite the excitement over the fight for third, Bezzecchi and Fernández had pulled away at the front with a two and three-second advantage over Acosta, respectively.
Although Saturday’s race was tight, the Grand Prix was decided early, with Fernández and Acosta unable to make a final attempt to catch Bezzecchi. In the final stages, Fernández lost pace, allowing Acosta to take second place.
The race became complicated for Márquez, who suffered a spectacular puncture on his rear tire while in fourth place, forcing him to retire. With the world champion out of competition, Fernández was able to stay on the podium, despite suffering a physical ailment that had already affected him during the morning warm-up.
In finishing, Jorge Martín earned a good haul of points with fourth place, while Ai Ogura made a spectacular comeback to place all Aprilias in the top 5. The best Ducati was Fabio di Giannantonio, finishing in sixth place ahead of Brad Binder and Franco Morbidelli, thus ending Ducati’s streak of podiums that had lasted since the 2021 British GP.
Another notable incident was Àlex Márquez’s crash on lap 21, which caused Francesco Bagnaia to move up to ninth place, with his Ducati fighting to regain positions after a slow start. Luca Marini finished tenth with his Honda team, while Joan Mir, who was in a good fifth place, also retired due to tire issues.
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