Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez set the pace once again for Ducati on the final day of pre-season testing in Buriram. Marquez was the only rider to dip below the 1:29 barrier, setting a 1:28.855.
His brother Alex was second-fastest, around a tenth and a half adrift. Marco Bezzecchi was an eye-catching third for Aprilia, with Pedro Acosta fourth and Francesco Bagnaia fifth – half a second off the pace.
Of course, the headline lap times in testing aren’t always representative. The starting grid for the Thailand Grand Prix in a fortnight’s time could look very different.
But Marquez’s race simulation on Thursday was arguably more ominous for his rivals. The six-time premier-class champion averaged a 1:30.4 over a 23-lap run, the fastest of any rider.
For reference, the all-time race lap record at the circuit is in the 1:30.2 bracket. He would have finished almost 30 seconds ahead of Jorge Martin at that speed in the 2023 event (the last dry race in Thailand), though he naturally had a clear track.
Ducati have decided to run with the GP24 engine this year because neither rider was satisfied with the GP25. They’ve also been experimenting with elements of last season’s aerodynamic package.
Marc Marquez inflicted brutal blow on MotoGP rivals with Ducati race simulation in Buriram
Marquez ends the test looking like the strong favourite for the season opener. Bagnaia would have hoped to build an early lead during his new teammate’s adaptation phase.
MotoGP presenter Jack Appleyard spoke to a source within Ducati about Marquez’s long run. They simply described it as ‘a knife between the heart’.
It’s a devastating psychological blow for his competitors, and Appleyard suspects Bagnaia will be concerned too. Marquez is finally back on contending machinery six years after his last title win in 2019.
Speaking on ‘After the Flag‘, Appleyard said: “The question is not ‘will Marc Marquez win the opening round of the year here in Buriram?’. The question is ‘by how many seconds?’.
“Speaking to someone within the Ducati camp earlier, when asked for comment on his race simulation, he described it as a knife between the heart – for not only everyone up and down pitlane, but potentially his teammate as well.”
Marc Marquez’s mind games may already be working after Francesco Bagnaia comments
Bagnaia was unhappy after day one at Buriram, reporting ‘many, many issues’. The contrast between the two sides of the garage was stark.
There’s a suspicion that Marquez tried to inflict a psychological blow on Bagnaia with his late time-attack run on Wednesday. The anticipated mind games may already be working even before the competitive action.
Ducati’s line-up has been compared to Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost, the infamous Formula 1 duo at McLaren. Marquez sees the similarities, but he maintains that Bagnaia is the title favourite.
That statement seems tactical, lumping further pressure on his teammate. It could be a defining season for the legacy of both riders.
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