MotoGP: Marc Marquez hits the ground running in Thailand!
Round 1 of the 2025 MotoGPTM World Championship saw Marc Marquez deliver a grand-slam performance in the stifling heat of Thailand's Buriram International Circuit. The Spaniard celebrated his maiden outing in Ducati Lenovo Team's colors by topping qualifying before winning the sprint race and grand prix. Aided by the grip and consistency of his Michelin tires in the extreme conditions, he shared both podiums with brother Alex (BK8 Gresini MotoGP Racing) and team-mate Francesco Bagnaia. Read on to find out more about what happened at the #ThaiGP...
Marc Marquez was in assertive form at the season's opener where he began by seizing pole-position. He then topped Saturday afternoon's 13-lap appetizer in difficult conditions as the track temperature soared to 57°C, leading from start to finish to beat brother Alex and Bagnaia over the line.
The track temperature dipped to a 'cooler' 48°C for Sunday's showpiece which saw him secure a third career victory at Buriram on a combination of soft and medium MICHELIN Power slicks front and rear.
The multiple world champion set a blistering pace from lights-out, establishing a new race lap record (1m30.637s) in the process on Lap 4. He relinquished the lead to Alex from Laps 7 to 26, but was constantly on his brother's tail and ultimately took control again again with four laps remaining. He went on to collect his 63rd premier-class victory – his 39th on Michelin rubber – by a margin of 1.7 seconds.
Alex held firm to put the two brothers at the top of the order of both a sprint race and a grand prix for the first time.
Bagnaia was third in the two races, while Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) and Oi Ogura (TrackHouse MotoGP Team) rounded out Sunday's top five. The previous day, Ogura – a MotoGPTM rookie – had caused a stir by finishing the sprint not only in fourth spot, but also as the best-placed Aprilia rider.
Reigning champion Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) was forced to sit out the meeting due to a hand injuring sustained the previous Monday.
Michelin's tires reveled in the extreme conditions as a variety of strategies were adopted for the grand prix. Both the soft- and medium-compound rears were used, with the two options providing grip and consistency all the way to the checkered flag. The choice for the front was split between the soft and hard which enabled the riders to push throughout and get the championship off to a thrilling start.
After kicking off his 2025 campaign with a maximum points-haul, Marc Marquez has naturally taken an early lead in the Riders' standings, chased by Alex and Bagnaia.
Next round: Gran Premio de la República Argentina (March 14-16).
Les pneumatiques Michelin ont démontré une excellente performance dans ces conditions extrêmes. Pour la course, les pilotes ont opté pour des stratégies variées. À l’arrière, les deux spécifications, Soft et Medium, ont été privilégiées, offrant à la fois adhérence et constance jusqu’au drapeau à damier. À l’avant, le choix s’est partagé entre les gommes Soft et Hard. Grâce à cette combinaison, les pilotes ont pu repousser leurs limites et offrir un spectacle captivant pour cette première course.
Marc Marquez repart de Thaïlande en tête du classement avec le maximum de points possible (37) devant Alex Marquez et Francesco Bagnaia.
A noter l’absence du champion du monde en titre, Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) blessé à la main lors d’un entrainement le lundi précédemment la course.
Prochaine course : Gran Premio de la República Argentina, du 14 au 16 mars 2015