Sylvain Guintoli slams three-win MotoGP rider’s ‘unacceptable’ actions at the Thai Grand Prix

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Practice for the Thai Grand Prix may be day one of the 2025 MotoGP season, yet the actions of a rider at Buriram on Friday enraged Sylvain Giuntoli and Michael Laverty.

Gresini ace Alex Marquez set the pace in the all-important 60-minute practice session ahead of Marc Marquez on his factory Ducati. The younger of the Marquez brothers stole the show right at the end with a 1:29.020 lap to edge his six-time MotoGP champion sibling by 0.052s.

Pedro Acosta and Marco Bezzecchi even showed KTM and Aprilia have pace at Buriram after securing automatic progression to Q2 in P3 and P4. But Francesco Bagnaia must go through Q1 at the Thai GP after the Ducati rider could only manage the 13th-fastest time in practice.

Franco Morbidelli frustrates Sylvain Guintoli by blocking Francesco Bagnaia at the Thai GP

The Marquez brothers, Acosta and Bezzecchi were joined in sealing Q2 places in practice for the Thai GP by Franco Morbidelli, Joan Mir, Raul Fernandez, Fabio Quartararo, Ai Ogura and Johann Zarco. But Morbidelli frustrated Guintoli and Laverty after costing Bagnaia a chance.

Bagnaia was just under the split time Marc Marquez set in the first sector to climb up for P1 before losing almost two-tenths of a second through S2. Yet as the Ducati star kept pushing, he found Morbidelli dawdling on the racing line into Turn 5 and had to abandon his final lap.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number

The 2022 and 2023 MotoGP champion was visibly frustrated with his Italian compatriot and gestured angrily towards the VR46 rider, having cost Bagnaia a chance to book a spot in Q2. Morbidelli also irked Guintoli and Laverty by impeding Bagnaia by cruising on the racing line.

“Come on!” Giuntoli fumed on TNT Sports 2 (28/02, 09:00). “How many times has Franky Morbidelli done that? Such a shame. Why? He is on the racing line, he should know better.

“He shouldn’t be there… Morbidelli’s had multiple penalties already. He’s completely in the way. That’s not acceptable.” To which, Laverty added: “That’s really bad.”

Pecco Bagnaia must bounce back in qualifying amid his battle with Marc Marquez

Morbidelli was the third-fastest Ducati rider in practice for the Thai GP with the VR46 pilot’s 1:29.306 lap around Buriram on Friday. But his dawdling on the racing line ensured Bagnaia could not improve on his 1:29.711 time and must go through Q1 to save his season-opener.

It could prove disastrous for Bagnaia’s battle for supremacy at Ducati against Marc Marquez if the Spaniard can stake an early claim after joining from Gresini for this term. Marquez will be one of the favourites to win the Thai GP if he can enjoy a strong qualifying this Saturday.

Morbidelli will hope any penalty he receives for impeding Bagnaia at the Thai GP also does not derail his strong start at Buriram. The 30-year-old has shown he has speed on the GP24 Ducati as the Italian eyes a fourth MotoGP win and first since the 2020 Valencia Grand Prix.