Marco Bezzecchi yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening grand prix in Thailand from pole position as defending world champion Marc Marquez retired late with a buckled wheel.
Aprilia’s Bezzecchi led from start to finish to top the podium in Buriram, with KTM’s Pedro Acosta second and Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez third.
Ducati’s Marquez is chasing a record-equaling eighth world title this season, but he exited the race in dramatic fashion while in fourth place with five laps to go.
Photo: AP
The Spaniard, who started from second on the grid, took a corner wide, with the jolt to his bike dislodging the rear tire, badly damaging his wheel.
Bezzecchi returned to winning form after crashing out of Saturday’s sprint race on the second lap.
The Italian was fastest in all three practice sessions and set a new track record in qualifying.
“Yesterday was a small mistake with a big consequence, so it was important today to try to bounce back,” Bezzecchi said. “My pace was good with the medium, we worked it super-well all weekend, so I knew that I could be fast if I was in front.”
“I tried my all to make a good start and the bike was perfect,” he added.
The victory made Bezzecchi the first Aprilia rider to win three consecutive Grands Prix, stretching back to last season, while teammate Jorge Martin, the 2024 world champion, and Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura completed the top five to cap a red-letter day for Aprilia bikes. Martin’s defense of his title was wrecked last season by injury.
Marquez’s misfortune proved costly for Ducati, marking the first time after 88 consecutive races stretching back to 2021 that one of their bikes failed to finish on the podium.
The Spaniard started second on the grid, but struggled to match the race pace and was forced to retire on lap 21 when his rear tire punctured at 176kph on a turn, heavily damaging the rim as the rubber nearly came off.
Adding insult to injury for the Marquez family, brother Alex Marquez, crashed on the very next lap, giving the two siblings who fought for the title last year a day to forget.
The drama unfolded early as Bezzecchi seized the initiative into turn one. Fernandez later slipped past Marc Marquez before Martin attacked on lap four to put three Aprilia bikes in podium positions.
Marquez last week said that he was still feeling the lingering effects of a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the final four races of last season.
Acosta beat Fernandez to second place to wrap up a successful weekend for the 21-year-old Spaniard.
Acosta won the sprint after Marquez was forced to let him pass on the final lap because of a penalty.
“Remember how much we struggled last year here even to take points and this year we make back-to-back podiums. For this, we have to be super happy,” a beaming said Acosta, , who leads the championship standings with 33 points ahead of Bezzecchi, with 25 points, after the first round. “Thanks to KTM... Last year the start was not the one I dreamed of and we survived to make it this.”
Fernandez looked like he had second place locked up until a late problem with his bike allowed Acosta to go past him.
“It was quite difficult, especially the last five, six laps,” Fernandez said. “I tried to make my maximum, but I had destroyed the rear tire.”
dditional reporting by AFP
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