Marco Bezzecchi
Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi won the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix, beating Pedro Acosta and Raul Fernandez to the chequered flag in a thrilling start to the 2026 MotoGP season in Buriram.
After losing the lead of Saturday’s Sprint race to Marc Marquez at the opening corner of the race and subsequently crashing out, the pressure was on Marco Bezzecchi to convert his pole position into a Grand Prix victory.
The Italian kept his cool on Sunday afternoon and led the grid’s charge into turn one. Marquez had a tricky opening lap, losing second place to Raul Fernandez before fending off an attack from Jorge Martin.
However, the reigning world champion continued to struggle in the opening stages, losing out to the Aprilia rider, as well as Pedro Acosta, on lap four as Bezzecchi began to stretch out a gap to the field.
Pedro Acosta leads the championship for the first time in his career after his P2 in Thailand. Will he be a genuine contender this season?
Let us know in the comments below!
Marco Bezzecchi wins the Thailand Grand Prix ahead of Pedro Acosta
A thrilling battle between Martin, Acosta and Marquez ensued, with all three riders refusing to give each other an inch as they staked their claim for the final spot on the podium.
After Acosta emerged ahead of the recent residents of MotoGP’s injury list, the KTM rider began to eat into Fernandez’s advantage in P2.
Disaster struck Marquez’s GP26 as the Spaniard appeared to have suffered a puncture just laps from the chequered flag.
It was followed by a crash from Alex Marquez and a technical issue from Joan Mir, who also had to retire from the race.
Acosta then succeeded in scuppering Fernandez’s hopes of grabbing a P2 finish at the season-opener.
Following his victory in the Sprint, the Spaniard ended the race weekend as the championship leader for the very first time in his career.
Who was your rider of the day for the Thailand Grand Prix? 🏍️
Let us know in the comments below!
MotoGP race results for the 2026 Thailand Grand Prix in Buriram
| POSITION | RIDER | TEAM | TIME/GAP |
| 1 | Marco Bezzecchi | Aprilia | 39:36.270 |
| 2 | Pedro Acosta | KTM | +5.543 |
| 3 | Raul Fernandez | Trackhouse | +9.259 |
| 4 | Jorge Martin | Aprilia | +12.182 |
| 5 | Ai Ogura | Trackhouse | +12.411 |
| 6 | Fabio Di Giannantonio | VR46 | +16.845 |
| 7 | Brad Binder | KTM | +17.383 |
| 8 | Franco Morbidelli | VR46 | +18.227 |
| 9 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | +18.340 |
| 10 | Luca Marini | Honda | +19.101 |
| 11 | Johann Zarco | LCR | +19.903 |
| 12 | Enea Bastianini | Tech3 | +23.386 |
| 13 | Diogo Moreira | LCR | +24.686 |
| 14 | Fabio Quartararo | Yamaha | +30.823 |
| 15 | Alex Rins | Yamaha | +32.955 |
| 16 | Maverick Vinales | Tech3 | +36.545 |
| 17 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | Pramac | +39.194 |
| 18 | Jack Miller | Pramac | +47.848 |
| 19 | Michele Pirro | Gresini | +1:03.598 |
| 20 | Joan Mir | Honda | DNF |
| 21 | Alex Marquez | Gresini | DNF |
| 22 | Marc Marquez | Ducati | DNF |
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