Carlo Pernat ‘surprised’ by one MotoGP team’s Thai Grand Prix with star rider ‘completely lacking’ at Buriram

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Marc Marquez winning as Ducati dominated the Thai Grand Prix was hardly shocking yet Carlo Pernat admits he was ‘surprised’ by just how bad one team was at Buriram.

The Borgo Panigale team started the 2025 MotoGP season in style as Marquez won the Thai GP on his Ducati debut. Their bikes also locked out the top four positions with Alex Marquez of Gresini splitting his brother and Francesco Bagnaia among the podium places last Sunday.

Marquez was in a class of his own at Buriram and would have won by a far, far bigger margin than his 1.732-second lead if not for having to run behind his brother due to a low front tyre pressure. Ducati saw Marquez give up the lead of the Thai GP until he hit the minimum laps.

Yamaha ‘surprised’ Carlo Pernat with just how uncompetitive Fabio Quartararo was in the Thai Grand Prix

Aprilia even enjoyed a solid result with Trackhouse rookie Ai Ogura the star of the Thai GP in P5 ahead of factory rider, Marco Bezzecchi. LCR Honda ace Johann Zarco even had a strong race in P7 ahead of the best KTM pilot, Brad Binder, with Jack Miller the best Yamaha in P11.

Miller might have finished higher at Buriram had the new Pramac rider not had to cling onto his fairing from Lap 8 of the 26. The Aussie lost touch with the leading pack after losing a lot of aerodynamic stability, whilst dealing with the extra heat coming from his Yamaha engine.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Yamaha from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

Ultimately, the aerodynamic stability Miller lost meant he finished the Thai GP 22.315s from Marquez. Pramac teammate Miguel Oliveira was the next-best Yamaha rider in P14, another 3.782s back, while factory riders Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins could only get P15 and P17.

Pernat admits he expected more from Yamaha and especially Quartararo in the Thai GP. The 25-year-old took the chequered flag 26.456s from Marquez, and claimed after the race that he struggled for grip and his bike was sliding from the very start of the 2025 season-opener.

“Yamaha surprised a little bit in the negative,” Pernat has told GPOne. “Something more was expected from them.

“The Honda is getting closer to a lot of riders. They are developing a little bit with the four riders they have. However, in the end, it must be said that they did not go badly, although there is still a long way to go.

“At least Yamaha, with Miller, showed something good, while Quartararo was completely lacking in competitiveness.”

Fabio Quartararo will not like that Yamaha did not resolve their tyre problems from the Buriram Test

Issues with his tyre was not Quartararo’s only issue last Sunday as Yamaha saw their season start poorly and rely on Pramac pilot Miller to lead their race. Quartararo struggled with the heat at the Thai GP and questions if MotoGP will start the 2026 season there as is expected.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Fabio Quartararo from net worth to career stats

But while Pernat was surprised, Quartararo appeared to expect Yamaha would start the year on the back foot. Despite Quartararo leaving the Sepang Test with some optimism, his mood seemed to change for the worse by a long way during the Buriram Test ahead of the Thai GP.

Quartararo looked ‘exasperated and frustrated’ at the Buriram Test and he suggested a lot of it was due to how his front tyre behaved. So, it will frustrate the Frenchman that Yamaha did not fix the issue for the Thai GP where he was able to qualify in P10 and Miller even took P4.