MotoGP riders and Team Managers reflect on Thai Sprint Race – Moto2/3 QP

MotoGP 2025

Round One – Thailand GP – Buriram

Marc Márquez – P1

“It was the perfect Saturday, and the best way to start this new journey with the Ducati Lenovo Team. Both pole position and sprint race win are important and I’m happy, but I know that tomorrow’s race is what counts the most. We’ll try to be consistent: Pecco is very strong as so is Alex, who showed his speed both in testing and in the weekend so far.”

Alex Marquez – P2

“Honestly, we did our best, we just didn’t have the pace to take the fight to Marc and we knew we could have been competitive against Bagnaia, at least on the sprint-race distance. Generally speaking, it was already an excellent Saturday from the morning. Thing will be a bit more complicated tomorrow, but we must at least aim at a repeat performance. The factory riders have something more, but we studied them, and we’ll continue to do so to try and stay with them also tomorrow. We’ll do our race and look for consistency, which the most important thing.”

Francesco Bagnaia – P3

“It was a positive race, especially in light of how things went during testing and after what happened yesterday. Clearly, we can be only 60 to 70% satisfied, as we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to make a full evaluation of the weekend. We still need to make some steps forward ahead of the race as I struggled a bit today, especially with regards to the front-end. Tomorrow’s race is going to be a long one and there isn’t a harder option available than the one I used today; the tyre choice will be crucial, but I saw some interesting things today on the track and we’ll work based on this and the data we gathered.”

Ai Ogura – P4

“The Sprint was top! It couldn’t have been better and I want to thank the team for what they gave me this weekend. I had a good first corner and after that I was riding in the first positions all the race. The biggest thing for me was riding behind Pecco (Bagnaia) for 13 laps, which helped me to gain a lot of experience. It was really high-quality laps, it was great. I mainly learned to ride smooth. I didn’t expect that the guys brake so hard into turn one after the start, luckily on the outside I found some room to get away. Tomorrow, it will be much tougher to manage the tires – even today in certain laps, I started to struggle a bit with that. We will have to manage it and I will give my maximum again to go fast for 26 laps tomorrow.”

Franco Morbidelli – P5

“I did the best Sprint I could do. In the first laps, I tried to pass Ogura, who did a good race, but I couldn’t do more than this because it was extremely hot, and I struggled breathing and riding normally. It was a very tough race, maybe one of the toughest ever, but we could be in Top5 and this is a great way to start. Tomorrow it will be hard as well because of the temperature, and it will be a resistance race, but we’re one of the fastest on the grid”.

Pedro Acosta – P6

“Well, we made a mess in the first corner, and I was not able to engage the front device. I lost positions and the temperature for the tire went up so quickly. It became a bit difficult. Our goal was the top five and to be consistent and, after what happened, I think we need to be happy. I had the yellow flags in the quali and lost the best two runs of the tire. But Q2 was not too bad. We’ll be starting from 6th tomorrow [Franco Morbidelli has a 3-place grid penalty] and the second row and that will be a bit better.”

Fabio Quartararo – P7

“Today we gave it our all. Maybe we could have done one position better, but today we had some difficulties with the front tyre temperature. Let’s see if we can do better tomorrow, but, for sure, the longer Race will be difficult for the tyres. I think that if we manage the tyre temperature a bit better tomorrow, we might already be able to get a bit closer.”

Brad Binder – P8

“I don’t have the all-out pace unfortunately to make the time attack for Q2 and 14th place was as good as it would get for me today. I went out in the race to try and attack early and fight hard and push to the end but it was really tricky. It was super-hot and the front and rear tyre cooked so quickly. It was so important to try and stay chilled and not over-spin. It was tricky to try and figure things out at the beginning because I ran into trouble after about three laps. Other than that I don’t think I can complain too much. I started 14th and finished 8th in a half-distance race so I would like a lot more but that was the best I could achieve today.”

Joan Mir – P9

“It was a hard Sprint today, we had some drama at the start with Bezzecchi, he spun, and I had to close the throttle to avoid him. After that I had one of my comebacks, working hard to make up places and in the end, I was able to finish with the group I have been with more or less all weekend – Fabio, Binder, Acosta etc. The heat has a big impact and limited us in several ways. There’s work to do to improve everything, but as a first Sprint of the season I think we have to be happy.”

Johann Zarco – P10

“The heat was tough to handle, and I struggled to overtake one of my rivals. We were really close to the points, but a lack of grip made it hard to maintain the pace. I made too many mistakes and missed the opportunity in this first Sprint. However, with the information we gathered, we’ll do our best to fight for points in tomorrow’s race”.

Raul Fernandez – P11

“For me, Ai’s performance wasn’t a surprise today. He is a huge talent, but what was surprising for me was how he managed the first lap. He made a really good job and I’m very happy for the whole team because all of them had a lot of work this winter, so I’m happy for everyone and also for Aprilia. I’m a little bit disappointed for myself and my side of the box. I made a big mistake on lap 1, went wide in turn three and lost five places and in these kind of conditions it’s hard to overtake in the first and second lap, so you will stay there all the race. There I lost everything, I was sixth or seventh and then back to 11th. This is what I want to improve in tomorrow’s race. I’m disappointed today because the bike is amazing. It has a great potential. I overtook Pedro (Acosta) at the start, which was good and the heat from the bike has improved a lot as well. I think the bike is ready, I need to be a little bit calmer in this situation and the rest is going to come.”

Marco Bezzecchi – P12

“It was a tough day; unfortunately, I experienced some difficulties from the morning session onwards. The start was a shame – my grid spot was a little dirty. These things happen; others have had it in the past, and today it was my turn. The data shows that my start procedure was identical to the ones I practised, so the issue was purely down to the lack of grip in my grid position. I did well in the sprint – managing several overtakes – but when you’re at the back, the situation is always the same: if you don’t get some clean air with fewer riders ahead, everything becomes much harder after a few laps”.

Fermin Aldeguer – P13

“I’m happy with having completed my first sprint race. I struggled, because this is a new experience for me but it helped head of tomorrow. I made many mistakes on track, I wasn’t used to race with so many riders ahead of me, but we’re happy. If we can find a couple of tenths tomorrow, then we’ll be competitive, the top ten would be an acceptable result.”

Maverick Viñales – P14

“It was our first sprint race with the KTM, and we obviously have a lot to learn, as we are not ready. We need to understand the bike more, and find a better set up. We gathered a lot of information today, and we’ll be looking forward to the long race tomorrow to continue learning and improving.”

Luca Marini – P15

“A tough race for everyone in this temperature, the heat was more intense than in the race last year and the test so we all had to manage our riding. For tomorrow we will work on improving how we perform in these conditions. We know what we need to do and we have to be satisfied with what we’ve done – also this morning. We have made a step and we need to keep going on like this.”

Miguel Oliveira – P16

“I struggled a bit, especially with the front end of the bike, as I felt like I had no grip. I thought my tyre pressure was sky-high, but in reality, it was fine. However, that lack of confidence when releasing the brakes into the corners cost me a lot. Considering I started so far back on the grid, finishing just six seconds behind Fabio (Quartararo) wasn‘t too bad—my pace wasn‘t awful. Right now, we can‘t compare ourselves to the top guys; we‘re still behind. What we need to do is use the first Yamaha as a reference, and I‘d say we were about 0”25 seconds per lap off Fabio‘s pace. Tomorrow‘s race will be even longer and tougher, so I‘m not sure what to expect. It will probably be even more challenging than today. I need to focus on the start because the first couple of laps will be crucial—I have to overtake as many riders as possible early on to make the race easier.”

Alex Rins – P17

“I’m struggling to manage the pace at the beginning of the race. It’s true that in the last five laps I was quite competitive. I was riding mid-1‘31s, matching the lap times of Fabio and the riders he was battling with. We have information to analyse, and we will try to change something for tomorrow.”

Enea Bastianini – P18

“This first sprint has been a disaster to be fair. We made many mistakes today, it was not an easy one at all but we have to fight, to try to do better. We will see how the bike behaves on the long distance tomorrow, and we will go from there.”

Somkiat Chantra – P19

“It was an amazing experience! I learned a lot, and it felt incredible to race in front of my home crowd. Tomorrow’s race will be long, but I’ll give my best and keep learning step by step”.

Lorenzo Savadori – P20

“We’re still working on the set-up, and doing that during a race weekend isn’t easy. In fact, it’s the first time I’ve done more than 10 consecutive laps on the RS-GP25, but we still gathered some valuable insights. I’ll attempt another step forward tomorrow because we’ve anyway closed the gap. I’m pleased to see Aprilia competitive on a track that we’ve historically found tough. Seeing Ogura go so fast also shows that we’re working in the right direction. A rookie jumping on a new bike and pushing it to the limit quickly is seriously impressive”.

Jack Miller – DNF

“This is not how I wanted the first Sprint Race of the season to go, but it is what it is. I was pushing hard despite some warnings from the bike, with a bit of understeer in a few corners. I kept pushing—maybe a little too much—when I should have used my head a bit more. But you know, after four months without racing and immediately being so competitive, it‘s easy to get carried away. I didn‘t do anything different going into Turn 8—I braked the same way, my line was fine—but that was the point where the tire started to drop off, and I crashed. I was trying to stay with Morbidelli, who was also pushing to catch Bagnaia, hoping their battle would help me close the gap while I was pulling away from the riders behind me. It‘s a shame because I was really enjoying my race, but hopefully, we can learn from this and improve tomorrow. That said, I‘m happy with my performance in qualifying—I‘m enjoying riding this bike, and hopefully, we can come away with a good result tomorrow.”

Fabio Di Giannantonio – DNF

“It’s a pity we couldn’t finish the race, because the bike has a huge potential, and I was feeling very strong today. Unfortunately, the bike was burning since the first lap. I’m sorry for the team, but I couldn’t take it anymore with two laps to go. Apart from this problem, the feeling was very good. This morning, we changed something on the bike that allows me to be fast and this is positive. Physically, I’m getting used to the pain, I’m not at my 100%, but improving the bike helps me in riding better”.

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Davide Brivio – Trackhouse Aprilia Team Principal

“Of course it has been a great day for us! We were all impressed by Ai in the race. He raced like a veteran – first start in MotoGP, he got himself into 4th position behind Pecco and stayed there all race, so I think it was just amazing. He positively surprised everyone and I did not expect him to be so fast, so quickly. So, let’s enjoy the moment and this type of race is also very important as it’s a great opportunity to learn, to understand MotoGP more. We are very happy for the result but, also, for the way his result came. Let’s see tomorrow – tomorrow is another day. Raul, I think, has been unlucky today; he had a great start but something happened at turn 3, he lost positions and then it was very difficult to overtake. I think he has the possibility to do better tomorrow. I also want to thank Aprilia because I take this result as a sign that the bike has improved. Of course, we have to wait for a few more races to understand, but it looks like we are in good shape. So, this gives us a great boost and we will continue to work.”

Aki Ajo – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager

“This weekend and the first Sprint was very important; it was an exercise to collect data at the beginning of the season and see where we are. We have tested and tried a lot, but race situations are always different, especially in extremely hot conditions like we have here, and it can be more challenging. There were many positive things about today and it was a bit of a practice for the grand prix race tomorrow. We gained a lot of info and I’m confident we can have a strong race with the guys.”

Nicolas Goyon – Tech3 KTM Team Manager

“First sprint of the season for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team, and it was obviously not the start we were hoping for. We know both Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini are learning a new bike, so we have to be patient as it is going to take a bit of time until they feel comfortable on the KTM. They both have the right mentality and the working methods that you need to have when you arrive on a new bike, so we have to trust them, and trust the process. According to them, they learnt a lot today, much more than during the winter tests, so I am sure that step by step, we will learn and close the gap to the other riders. Heads down, and let’s continue working.”

Massimo Meregalli – Monster Yamaha Team Director

“Our riders and our team had been waiting for a long time to finally start racing. We’ve had a demanding day overall. Both Fabio and Álex found qualifying a challenge. Fabio started the Sprint from P10, and his strong opening lap put him in a good position early on. It allowed him to bring home the first points of the new season, which is an encouraging start. As for Álex, his Sprint race was a bit of a rollercoaster. He had a good start and opening sector but then ran wide. He rejoined in 21st place, but he kept pushing all the way to the end. His rhythm was getting better in the final laps, so today’s data can be useful for tomorrow’s Race. It will be 27 long hot laps, so tyre preservation and rider endurance will be key.

“Finally, I would like to clarify that Álex’ lap times set in the Friday Practice were later cancelled due to a human error on our part. It turned out that the transponder on one of his bikes was not sealed by the FIM stewards. Though this falls under ‘technical infringement’, it was not done with malicious intent, it was done by mistake. The responder was changed before today’s sessions, and Álex was able to continue to take part in this GP round as usual.”

Gino Borsoi – Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

“Even though it‘s a shame how the Sprint Race ended, what I prefer to highlight is our continuous progress. Without wanting to sound too bold, I‘d say that as Yamaha, we‘re not far from being ahead of all the other manufacturers—Ducati excluded, of course. And that already seems like a great starting point to me. It was a bittersweet Saturday, true, but still a positive one. Aside from the crash, Jack confirmed his excellent adaptation to the YZR-M1. If he had been a bit more careful, he could have finished the race, and beyond the final result, he would have provided valuable information to the engineers to further improve the bike. A standout performance is always great, but at this stage, when it‘s more important to consolidate our project, it‘s relatively less crucial. That said—and I say this as a former rider—I completely understand that when you’re a racer, it’s instinctive to go for it. As for Miguel, his final position isn‘t what we expected, but if we look at his race pace, he could have easily been close to the Top 10. The problem is that starting so far back makes things difficult, and then, on the first lap, he was hit and forced wide. If we consider that he finished just six seconds behind Quartararo but lost three seconds on the first lap alone, his race had some positive aspects as well. Now, we look ahead to tomorrow‘s race—the foundation for a good performance is there, and hopefully, we can bring home a strong result.”

Fabiano Sterlacchini – Aprilia Racing Team Manager

“In the morning, we had a few minor setbacks that affected Marco’s day a bit. We couldn’t set the lap times we expected, meaning we started from an unfortunate grid spot on a dirty section of the track – we know that. When you start further back, especially on circuits that put so much stress on the front tyre in these conditions, everything becomes extremely difficult. When Marco had a clear track, his lap times were fully comparable to the frontrunners, but unfortunately in MotoGP, the starting position is crucial. We worked on several key areas with Sava, and there were some encouraging signs. Congratulations to the entire Trackhouse team and Ai Ogura, who had an incredible sprint race. Both Trackhouse riders did an excellent job. Obviously, Raúl is still working on regaining confidence after missing testing due to injury, but we’re seeing positive signs”.

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MotoGP Sprint Race Report

Marc Marquez made the dream launch from pole position to lead the pack into turn one. Pecco Bagnaia slotted into an early P2 but on the run into Turn 3, Alex Marquez stole P2 back. Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) swooped around the outside at Turn 1 to clinch an early P4, with Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) P5.

At the start of Lap 3, Marc Marquez was six-tenths clear of his younger brother Alex. Bagnaia was a further second off the tailpipes of the Gresini star, with Ogura keeping the two-time MotoGP Champion on his toes. And a lap later, it was still the case – Ogura was shadowing Pecco, with the latter losing touch on the top two in the early stages.

After a nightmare launch that saw him drop to the rear of the field, Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) was making good progress. The Italian was P14, but Aprilia’s attention was on Ogura in P4, who was still shadowing Bagnaia.

Drama unfolded for Miller with seven laps left, the Aussie was on the floor at Turn 8 from P6, which promoted Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) to top Yamaha in P6. That was soon P7, as a small error at Turn 8 allowed Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) to carve through.

Back at the front, Marc Marquez was 1.1s clear of Alex Marquez heading into the closing five laps. Bagnaia was 1.2s in arrears of the #73 but now, the Italian was the fastest rider on track. Ogura was now 0.5s behind Bagnaia, with Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) a lonely P5.

Three to go. Between the top three, it was pretty much as you were. Ogura’s podium hopes were seemingly slipping away as the Japanese star dropped to 0.8s off Bagnaia, but the rookie sensation had 1.8s to play with back to Morbidelli.

Two to go. Bagnaia’s efforts of trying to close down Alex Marquez for P2 had run out of steam and heading onto the final lap of the first Sprint of 2025, Marc Marquez was able to cruise home. The perfect Saturday was secured for the six-time MotoGP World Champion and for the first time since 2019, the #93 saw himself at the summit of the MotoGP World Championship.

In the end, it was a comfortable P2 for Alex Marquez as Bagnaia claimed P3 to open his points account for the year. Ride of the day goes to rookie Ogura. A magnificent P4 sees the reigning Moto2 World Champion finish less than a second behind Pecco, 1.3s ahead of Morbidelli and over six seconds ahead of last year’s rookie star Acosta. What a ride. It was P6 for the #37 of Acosta, P7 for Quartararo, P8 for Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and a hard earned P9 for Honda HRC Castrol’s Joan Mir as the 2020 World Champion and Japanese manufacturer see light at the end of the tunnel with their second Sprint points and first in the dry.

Pole position, Tissot Sprint win… can Marc Marquez notch up a perfect weekend in Thailand to really launch his factory Ducati career into life heading to Argentina? He’s going to take some stopping, but don’t discount Alex Marquez and Bagnaia – and maybe even a star rookie? – just yet.

MotoGP Buriram Sprint Race Results

Buriram MotoGP Qualifying Times

MotoGP Championship Standings

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Moto2

Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) took the first pole position of the year in Moto2, with just 0.036 deciding it in a late flurry of fast laps at the top as the Spaniard edges out Celestino Vietti (HDR Heidrun) – the Italian charging through from Q1 to second. Aron Canet (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) locks out a front row that seems poised to get the gloves off on Sunday.

Manuel Gonzalez – P1

“I feel great. Of course, it’s always possible to do better, because yesterday I had a small crash. If that hadn’t happened, the weekend might have been a bit easier. But I don’t think about that because I feel really good with the bike. I feel the limit in every session and push at every moment. I was able to put in a really good lap in qualifying. However, I wasn’t so happy with it because I made a few mistakes on that lap. But pole position is pole position and it’s a very important point for tomorrow’s race, where our 100 percent goal is to do a good first lap. But starting from pole position should make things a bit easier for me. I think that if I don’t make any mistakes on the first lap, I can find my rhythm right from the start and maintain it over the entire distance. Thanks to the team.”

Until 22 seconds to go in Moto2 Q2 in Thailand, it looked like Barry Baltus (Fantic Racing Lino Sonego) was on for a maiden pole position. But the late onslaught from his key rivals puts him down in fifth, with Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) pipping him to the front of Row 2. Darryn Binder (ITALJET Gresini Moto2) completes the second row after, like Vietti, charging up from Q1.

Senna Agius – P4

“I’m really happy with the progression of today, and the fact that I equalled my best qualifying position here in Thailand makes me even happier. But also, a huge compliment to the team for the pole position that Manu and his crew took on the other side of the garage. I’m really happy for them and we’re not far behind. We learned a lot today, my feeling is much better because I have more confidence in the bike and everything else. So, we will do our best tomorrow and see what we can achieve. But at the moment I’m super happy!”

Marcos Ramirez (Onlyfans American Racing Team) is next up, with late movers Jake Dixon (ELF Marc VDS Racing Team) and Alonso Lopez (Team HDR Heidrun) on Row 3.

Brazilian rider Diogo Moreira (Italtrans Racing Team) starts tenth, and he, Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2) and Deniz Öncü (Red Bull KTM Ajo) just behind will all be looking for more when the lights go out. Likewise Tony Arbolino as the former Buriram winner didn’t make it through to Q2 in his first outing with BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2.

Some other key stories to watch out for as we go racing are Indonesian Mario Aji’s best Moto2 qualifying in P14 for Idemitsu Honda Team Asia, and a solid debut for top rookie Daniel Holgado (CFMoto Inde Aspar Team) in fifteenth as he came through Q1. Teammate and reigning Moto3 World Champion David Alonso is having a tougher start to the intermediate class as he didn’t move through from the first qualifying session, looking to find his feet in Moto2.

Buriram Moto2 Qualifying Times

 

 

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Moto3

The Moto3 World Championship’s first pole-sitter has been set after a tight and competitive qualifying session in Buriram. With track temperature rising close to the 60-degree centigrade mark, it was a hotly contested session and one with many key topics. Taking honours come the conclusion of it all, Matteo Bertelle (LEVEL-UP MTA) continued his mighty form from throughout the weekend to bag a first career pole.

After the first runs in Q1, it was home hero Tatchakorn Buasri (Honda Team Asia) who stole the show and was P1 with five minutes remaining ahead of a host of rookies, such as Alvaro Carpe (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Valentin Perrone (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and replacement rider, Adrian Cruces (CIP Green Power), in place of Noah Dettwiler. Carpe toppled Buasri for top spot but both went through to Q2 for the first time, along with Dennis Foggia (CFMOTO Aspar Team) and Eddie O’Shea (GRYD – MLav Racing), the Brit likewise making a first-time appearance in Q2.

It was a whole different story in Q2 though as they faced the likes of Jose Antonio Rueda (Red Bull KTM Ajo), Bertelle and Ryusei Yamanaka (FRINSA – MT Helmets – MSI), all of whom topped sessions during the weekend. Bertelle was strong from the start and led the field after the first flying lap and on his second, towed teammate Joel Kelso into P2, with the strategy working well for the team at the midway point. Luca Lunetta (SIC58 Squadra Corse) hauled himself into P3 before the second and final stint of fast laps got underway.

Opting to set lap times on his own, Yamanaka climbed into the top ten whilst the main train of riders were all in a group and would have three timed laps to give it all they’ve got for pole. Their penultimate lap was the one that saw many of them improve, with Carpe jumping to fifth and Scott Ogden (CIP Green Power) one place ahead of him. Stefano Nepa (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was another late improver going up into P2, one place ahead of Rueda who carried on his form but it’s a first pole for Bertelle, his first front row since Sepang 2023.

Ogden held onto fourth with Lunetta eventually taking fifth, just ahead of top rookie Carpe. The third row is the best of the Leopard Racing Honda’s with David Almansa, ahead of Kelso, Taiyo Furusato (Honda Team Asia) and David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) who completes the top ten.

Joel Kelso – P8

“In the morning we felt good on the bike and the lap time came easily. In Qualifying, however, the sensations were not perfect and we were unable to get the maximum. But tomorrow is another day and we will give it our all. We will continue to work to find the right solution.”

Buriram Moto3 Qualifying Times

 

 

 

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2025 MotoGP Calendar

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