Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP kicked off with a hotly debated Sprint Race at the Chang International Circuit as the stewards stepped in on the final lap.
The 2026 MotoGP season kicked off with an instant classic as Pedro Acosta secured his first Sprint Race victory in the premier class.
However, his win has been overshadowed by controversy at the final corner of the penultimate lap, as Marc Marquez was handed a penalty on the final lap for his overtake on Acosta.
The penalty saw Marquez yield to Acosta at the same corner on the final lap, allowing Acosta to take the lead and the victory for KTM.
What are your thoughts on Marc Marquez getting a penalty for this move on Pedro Acosta?
MotoGP fans do not agree with the penalty Marc Marquez received
Plenty of fans reacted on Reddit, as Marquez was handed a penalty on the final lap of the Sprint Race at the Chang International Circuit.
One fan stated, “What the f— was that? Marc didn’t go wide and then why should he drop a position?”
“Great move by Marc, stewards are morons”, suggested another fan after Acosta secured his first Sprint Race victory in MotoGP.
Another comment read, “Marc’s move was completely fine in my opinion, Acosta should have expected it and gone for the cutback like Marc kept doing on previous laps..”
“Hate when great races get ruined by penalties”, another fan said, whilst a separate comment also referenced the quality of the opening race, “Don’t agree with the penalty but what a fantastic race”.
A final comment stated, “Let’s watch how many such overtakes will be penalized from now on. Simon better be consistent. Any rider can now get his rival penalized by pretending to be pushed off track for a race win.”
Pedro Acosta wins his first MotoGP race!
Have we seen just seen MotoGP's best ever Sprint?
Marc Marquez reacts to his Thailand Sprint Race penalty
In the early laps of the Sprint Race, Marquez was going head-to-head with Marco Bezzecchi, as many expected for the opening Sprint of the season.
However, Bezzecchi crashed from the lead, and Marquez looked like he would run away at the front. But when Acosta joined Marquez at the front, he made life difficult for the reigning champion.
After the Sprint, when he crossed the line in second place, Marquez admitted that he was trying to ‘control the pace of the race’ from the front.
Marquez gave a vague and straight-to-the-point answer when asked about the penalty, as he stated, “In my opinion, the race direction decides, so I follow the rules.”
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