MotoGP: Bezzecchi supreme as Michelin revels in Thailand heat

Round 1 of the 2026 MotoGP™ World Championship was won by Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), five seconds clear of Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Team) and Raúl Fernández (TrackHouse MotoGP Team). Michelin's tires delivered remarkable grip and consistency throughout the PT Grand Prix of Thailand and helped Bezzecchi establish two new records despite the extremely hot weather.

Bezzecchi's near-perfect weekend began with domination of Friday's practice when he posted a new track record (1m28.526s) in the afternoon. The next day saw him claim the first pole-position of the year but an error forced him out of the ensuing sprint race.

He bounced back to get away to an ideal start on Sunday on the same front/rear combination of soft and medium MICHELIN Power slicks as the rest of the field. Clearly in his element at Buriram, he used the grip provided by his tires to set an impressive pace that enabled him to clock a new fastest race-lap record (1m30.487s) on the fourth of the afternoon's 26 laps.

He ended up taking the checkered flag unchallenged – 5.5s clear of Acosta – to claim a third straight victory, the seventh of his MotoGP™ career.

After securing his first-ever sprint success on Saturday, Acosta started the grand prix from sixth on the grid and soon found himself in the thick of the fight for a podium placing. He passed both Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Fernandez in convincing fashion to appear in second spot with four laps to go.

Fernández had come third in the sprint race and he repeated that form on Sunday when he finished in the same position. Aprilia's dream start to the year continued with fourth and fifth places for Jorge Martín (Aprilia Racing) and Ai Ogura (TrackHouse MotoGP Team).

The trip to Thailand was marked by scorching heat, but Michelin's tires rose to the occasion and gave Bezzecchi the necessary grip and consistency to establish new track and race-lap records for Buriram.

The soft rear – the unanimous choice for Saturday's appetizer – favored a closely-fought sprint with plenty of overtaking and enabled three different bike manufacturers to participate in the podium celebrations. The medium rear then delivered the same qualities during Sunday's 26-lap showpiece.

Acosta left Thailand at the top of the championship's provisional standings on a score of 32 points, ahead of Bezzecchi (25) and Fernandez (23).

Next round: Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Brazil, Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia – Ayrton Senna (March 20-22).