08:02
Michelin confirms all riders are on soft tyres, front and rear, for the 13-lap Sprint.
Marco Bezzecchi, Marc Marquez, 2026 Thai MotoGP
© Gold & Goose
Thai MotoGP sprint as it happened: Dramatic Marquez/Acosta clash decides win
Live updates from Saturday’s Sprint race at the 2026 Thai MotoGP at Buriram.
KEY MOMENTS:
- Polesitter Marco Bezzecchi crashes from the lead early on
- Francesco Bagnaia fails to advance beyond Qualifying 1.
- The Buriram Sprint starts at 3pm.
- 2026 Thai MotoGP, Buriram: Latest Results
After a Friday practice sweep by Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi, MotoGP faces its first Qualifying and then Sprint race of the season on Saturday at the 2026 Thai Grand Prix.
Marco Bezzecchi dodged rain spots and strong winds to set a new lap record on Friday afternoon, pushing him almost half-a-second clear of Ducati’s reigning champion Marc Marquez.
Meanwhile, Marquez’s factory Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia was the most high-profile rider to miss out on a top ten place for direct Qualifying 2 access, and now needs to fight his way through Qualifying 1.
Behind Marc Marquez, fellow GP26 rider Fabio di Giannantonio, KTM’s Pedro Acosta, Aprilia’s Jorge Martin and Gresini’s Alex Marquez completed the Friday top six.
Joan Mir was the top Honda in seventh and Fabio Quartararo the leading Yamaha in 16th.
Joining Bagnaia in Qualifying 1 will be the likes of Luca Marini (Honda), Maverick Vinales (Tech3 KTM), Franco Morbidelli (VR46 Ducati) and Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Aprilia).
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 is competing in his first grand prix event since sustaining shoulder injuries at Mandalika last October.
Moto2 world champion Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda) got the early edge over rookie rival and reigning WorldSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioglu with 18th vs 21st on Friday, but Razgatlioglu was only a fraction behind fellow Yamaha riders Alex Rins and Jack Miller.
Saturday’s MotoGP action begins with a 30-minute free practice, immediately followed by Qualifying 1 and then Qualifying 2. The first Sprint race of the season starts at 3pm local time.
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) / 03:40am (UK) - MotoGP Warm-up
3:00pm (local) / 8:00am (UK) - Thai MotoGP
28 Feb 2026
08:06
Bezzecchi crashes out of the lead!
Marco Bezzecchi crashes out of the lead! A lowside at Turn 8. That's his third crash of the day.
Bezzecchi's engine is dead so he can't quickly rejoin, under the new rules. Disaster for the Aprilia rider.
08:05
Bezzecchi back in front
Marco Bezzecchi repasses Marc Marquez into the hairpin early on lap 2.
08:04
Marc Marquez retaliates!
Marc Marquez outbrakes Bezzecchi into the final corner to reclaim the lead at the end of lap 1.
Order: Marc Marquez, Marco Bezzecchi, Pedro Acosta, Raul Fernandez, Jorge Martin, Joan Mir.
08:04
Bezzecchi attacks
Marco Bezzecchi attacks for the lead, and takes over P1.
08:03
Contact
Alex Marquez pushes Fabio di Giannantonio wide at the Turn 3 hairpin.
08:03
Marc Marquez holeshot
The red lights go out and Marc Marquez steals the holeshot ahead of Marco Bezzecchi.
08:00
The grid clears and the warm-up lap begins.
07:58
The front row of Marco Bezzecchi, Marc Marquez and Raul Fernandez are confirmed as choosing the same soft-soft tyres.
07:57
Helmets on
The helmets go on as riders and teams make their last-minute checks.
07:52
"Bezzecchi tough to beat"
Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi admits "Marco Bezzecchi will be very tough to beat" and says the aim is to gather points at the start of a long season.
07:50
Razgatlioglu and Rins
Toprak Razgatlioglu is chatting with fellow Yamaha rider Alex Rins ahead of his first MotoGP race. The WorldSBK champion will start from 21st, two places behind Rins.
07:47
Bezzecchi arrives on pole
Marco Bezzecchi arrives on pole position, the last time he rode around the Buriram track he fell at the final corner at the end of qualifying, but his speed at the circuit since pre-season testing has been peerless.
Bezzecchi won the last two grands prix of 2025, but that was without Marc Marquez on the grid. The reigning champion will be making his first race start since Mandalika last October, when he was injured after contact from Bezzecchi.
07:45
The initial tyre report suggests all riders on softs, front and rear, learning from the Marquez brothers' last season. It's still possible to change tyre choice on the grid.
07:41
Riders head to the grid
Pit lane opens and riders head to the grid for the first time in 2026.
07:41
Marco Bezzecchi and then Marc Marquez are the pre-race favourites, but the likes of front row starter Raul Fernandez and fourth on the grid Fabio di Giannantonio are dark horses.
07:36
In terms of tyres, last year's Sprint saw most riders choose the hard front (now called the medium) and soft rear.
However, Marc Marquez and brother Alex, first and second in the Sprint, bucked the trend by picking the soft front - also used by Ai Ogura to take a surprise fourth on his MotoGP debut.
07:31
30 minutes to go
Moto2 qualifying is over, and attention turns to the Thai MotoGP Sprint race, which starts in half-an-hour.
06:59
Francesco Bagnaia starts 13th
Meanwhile, Bezzecchi's good friend and rumoured 2027 Aprilia team-mate Francesco Bagnaia will start today's Sprint from just 13th place after failing to advance past Qualifying 1...
06:55
Marco Bezzecchi's qualifying crash
This was Marco Bezzecchi's late crash in qualifying for the Thai MotoGP - his second of the morning - but the Aprilia rider had already done enough to hold onto pole ahead of Marc Marquez.
06:39
Starting grid for the 2026 Thai MotoGP Sprint race
The full starting grid for the 2026 Thai MotoGP Sprint race at Buriram.
Starting grid for the 2026 Thai MotoGP Sprint race
Marco Bezzecchi (pole), Marc Marquez (2nd), Raul Fernandez (3rd), qualifying, 2026 Thai MotoGP.
© Gold and Goose
05:25
Report: “Pain in the ass” pole for Marco Bezzecchi
Front row reaction after qualifying at Buriram...
“Pain in the ass” pole for Marco Bezzecchi, Marc Marquez says “enough”
Marc Marquez, Marco Bezzecchi, qualifying, 2026 Thai MotoGP.
© Gold and Goose
04:35
Thai MotoGP, Buriram - Full Qualifying Results
2026 Thai MotoGP, Buriram - Full Qualifying Results
Marco Bezzecchi, Thai MotoGP
© Gold and Goose
04:31
Bezzecchi pole despite late crash
Marco Bezzecchi walks to parc ferme without his Aprilia to celebrate pole position for the 2026 Thai MotoGP.
Marc Marquez and Raul Fernandez complete the front row.
04:30
Bezzecchi down again!
Marco Bezzecchi crashes out, losing the front on entry to the final corner.
That was quite a heavy impact, but the Italian eventually walks away.
That's Bezzecchi's second crash of the day.
He's still on pole at the moment.