Marco Bezzecchi
Despite an encouraging pre-season, Francesco Bagnaia was helpless as Ducati saw their 88-race podium streak be broken at the 2026 Thailand Grand Prix.
For the very first time since the 2021 British Grand Prix, Ducati were not represented on the podium by any of the six riders who currently race as part of their stable.
Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi took the plaudits in Buriram at MotoGP’s 2026 season-opener, dominating the Buriram International Circuit to win the Thailand Grand Prix by over five seconds from Pedro Acosta in second place.
With Raul Fernandez taking the final spot on the podium, the best-placed Ducati rider ended up being Fabio Di Giannantonio, who took the chequered flag in P6.
Marc Marquez was forced into an early retirement after puncturing his rear tyre on a kerb, which was quickly followed by Alex Marquez crashing out of the race.
Franco Morbidelli finished P8, one spot ahead of Francesco Bagnaia, while Michele Pirro ended up in last place of the riders that saw the chequered flag during his substitution ride in place of Fermin Aldeguer.
- READ MORE: Sylvain Guintoli saw Francesco Bagnaia ‘making things worse’ amid Ducati’s tyre struggles in Buriram
A changing of the guard or just a blip to start the season? 🤔
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Francesco Bagnaia thought it was ‘impossible’ for Ducati not to score a podium at the Thailand Grand Prix
During his media duties with the worldwide press following the conclusion of the Thailand Grand Prix, Bagnaia shared his surprise at his beloved Ducati outfit not being featured on the podium at all.
The two-time MotoGP world champion said, via Moto.it, “After the tests, I would have told you it was impossible for that to happen.
“In the tests, we were riding fast and with great pace, but from the beginning of the weekend, I really felt the difference in condition, and I felt like the other Ducati riders were more competitive than me.
“Especially on the flying lap, and especially Marc, who was also competitive in the race. We weren’t in a position to say anything here; we just had to try and finish the race.”
The Italian had some other damning comments for his colleagues back in Borgo Panigale after seeing Aprilia dominate the top five with all four of their riders, with Bagnaia simply saying that Ducati are no longer ‘the fastest’ team on the grid.
For what it’s worth, Marquez was still in the hunt for a podium before disaster struck, but he would have had to have found a lot of race pace in order to get the job done on Raul Fernandez in the latter stages of the Grand Prix.
The Spaniard’s retirement saw him end his first race weekend with the factory Ducati squad with a deficit to the championship leader, who currently stands as Acosta.
Marc Marquez made it look easy with this double overtake, but what was your favourite moment from the Thailand Grand Prix? 🤩
Let us know in the comments below!
Despite his own result, Francesco Bagnaia highlighted how he was happy for Marco Bezzecchi
Another one of the questions that Bagnaia fielded regarded the race-winner, Bezzecchi, and the Italian’s sentiments towards him.
Asked if he is happy for the Aprilia star, Bagnaia replied, “Of course, I’m very happy for him.
“We should have pulled his ears for yesterday, because he could have scored a double, but I’ve made several mistakes like that, so I can’t say anything to him.”
Bagnaia is expected to team up with Bezzecchi at Aprilia next year, with it being understood that Acosta will jump into the #63’s seat at Borgo Panigale in 2027.
With one eye likely to be on Aprilia’s performance throughout the upcoming term, a move across Italy could rejuvenate Bagnaia’s recent poor performances.
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