2026 Thai MotoGP, Buriram - Friday practice as it happened

• Marco Bezzecchi leads MotoGP FP1 at Buriram.
• Jorge Martin becomes the first faller of the 2026 season.
• Three Aprilias in the top four.
• PICS: Frustrated Quartararo shreds tyre in practice start.
• Rain flags in afternoon Practice.
• Marco Bezzecchi defies the weather to break the lap record.
• Francesco Bagnaia in Qualifying 1.
• 2026 Thai MotoGP, Buriram: Friday Practice Results.

The 2026 MotoGP season begins with a pair of Friday practice sessions for the Thai Grand Prix at Buriram.

Last weekend’s pre-season test at the same circuit ended with Marco Bezzecchi on top of the timesheets from fellow Aprilia rider Ai Ogura.

Reigning champion Marc Marquez and factory Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia followed, with Gresini Ducati’s title runner-up Alex Marquez completing the top five.

The Aprilias will certainly be hoping history repeats itself, with last year’s Buriram test top five forming the final world championship top five, in the same order…

Marc Marquez took a perfect double victory from pole position on his factory Ducati debut a year ago, despite a tyre pressure scare early in the grand prix.

However, the nine-time world champion suffered three falls during this year’s test, when he was also battling sickness, and will be competing in his first grand prix event since sustaining shoulder injuries at Mandalika last October.

While Ducati and Aprilia looked closely matched at the sharp end of the testing timesheets, Pedro Acosta again led the KTM challenge in sixth.

Honda rounded out the top ten with Joan Mir while Yamaha was a best of 16th, with all four M1 riders - Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins, Jack Miller and Toprak Razgatlioglu - predicting a tough weekend for the underpowered V4’s full-time debut.

Reigning World Superbike champion Razgatlioglu will battle reigning Moto2 champion Diogo Moreira for rookie of the year honours, with the Brazilian almost one-second faster than the Pramac rider at the end of testing.

Friday’s MotoGP action begins with a 45-minute free practice, followed by an hour-long after Practice, where the top then riders will receive the all-important direct access to Saturday morning’s Qualifying 2.

Friday schedule:
10:45am (local) / 03:45m (UK) - MotoGP FP1
3:00pm (local) / 8:00am (UK) - MotoGP Practice

Saturday schedule:
10:10am (local) / 03:10am (UK) - MotoGP FP2
10:50am (local) / 03:50am (UK) - MotoGP Qualifying
3:00pm (local) / 8:00am (UK) - MotoGP Sprint

Sunday schedule:
10:40am (local) / 03:40pm (UK) - MotoGP Warm-up
3:00pm (local) / 7:00am (UK) - Thai MotoGP