RIDER RATINGS: 10 for Oliviera but who suffered their worst grade of the year?
Miguel Oliveira - 10
(Qualified 11th, finished 1st)
Like in Mandalika earlier this season, Oliveira was once again the star of the show in tricky conditions. After making a very good start the Portuguese rider went from strength to strength in order to pick off the Ducatis and Marc Marquez ahead of him. Despite finding it difficult to overtake Jack Miller for several laps, Oliveira did just that with 11 to go as he led the way from that point on.
Jack Miller - 9
(Qualified 7th, finished 2nd)
A brilliant start from Miller put him in position to challenge for a podium before further progress was made when he overtook team-mate Francesco Bagnaia and Marco Bezzecchi to lead the race. Looking set for a second consecutive win, Miller then saw his charge come under intense pressure from Oliveira who finally got through under braking at the final corner.
Francesco Bagnaia - 9
(Qualified 3rd, finished 3rd)
After his nightmare in Motegi, Bagnaia was unbreakable in his battle with Marquez and Johann Zarco as he held off both riders despite them appearing to be quicker than him at different stages. On a day where his title rivals suffered massively, Bagnaia remained cool under pressure as he reduced Fabio Quartararo’s championship lead to just two points.
Johann Zarco - 8
(Qualified 5th, finished 4th)
In what was a similar story to Mandalika, Zarco showed race winning potential during the final few laps but was unable to take advantage after getting bogged down behind Bagnaia. With no team orders at hand, Zarco attempted to make his way past Bagnaia twice but made mistakes on both occasions.
Marc Marquez - 8
(Qualified 8th, finished 5th)
After his strong performance in Motegi, Marquez backed that up by going on to challenge for a podium in Buriram. Although his title as the only MotoGP rider to win at Buriram has come to an end, Marquez showed once again that he’s making the difference aboard a difficult Honda RC213V.
Enea Bastianini - 7
(Qualified 6th, finished 6th)
After losing a few places at the start and struggling to make his way back up the order, Bastianini began to find his rhythm as the race went on and picked off the likes of Alex Marquez and Jorge Martin.
Maverick Vinales - 9
(Qualified 17th, finished 7th)
Despite struggling all weekend with stopping his RS-GP22 and falling as low down as 22nd on the opening lap, Vinales was sensational as he came back through the pack in what was one of his best races as an Aprilia rider aside from the obvious podium finishes in Assen, Silverstone and Misano.
Alex Marquez - 9
(Qualified 20th, finished 8th)
Like Vinales, Marquez was one of the stars of the race after climbing all the way up to fifth at one stage. The LCR Honda rider lost pace in the final few laps, however, it remains one of his best performances of the season.
Jorge Martin - 4
(Qualified 2nd, finished 9th)
With the pace to challenge for a win in dry conditions, Martin was the opposite in the wet as he slid back to eighth come the end of the Grand Prix.
Brad Binder - 6
(Qualified 12th, finished 10th)
After being pushed off track in the opening stages by Aleix Espargaro, Binder resumed his battle with the Aprilia rider during the closing stages, this time coming out on top as he secured tenth place.
Aleix Espargaro - 5
(Qualified 13th, finished 11th)
Had it not been for his early contact with Binder and subsequent Long Lap penalty, Espargaro could have been fighting with team-mate Vinales for P7. Instead it’s more points lost compared to where he should have finished, but also to one of his title rivals.
Alex Rins - 4
(Qualified 10th, finished 12th)
Like Quartararo, Rins lost a lot of positions on the opening lap which meant a big fightback was needed. And although Rins scored points, it wasn’t the performance he or Suzuki would have wanted.
Franco Morbidelli - 5
(Qualified 14th, finished 13th)
In tenth for much of the race, Morbidelli looks set for one of his best results of the season before slipping back down the order during the final few laps.
Pol Espargaro - 6
(Qualified 19th, finished 14th)
Although he was nowhere near both Marc and Alex Marquez in terms of pace, The Thai MotoGP was a solid performance from Espargaro as he claimed points for just the fourth time in the last nine races.
Raul Fernandez - 6
(Qualified 16th, finished 15th)
One of his better performances of the season, Fernandez was a constant presence inside the points as he came home four seconds clear of pole sitter Bezzecchi.
Marco Bezzecchi - 3
(Qualified 1st, finished 16th)
A stunning lap in Q2 saw Bezzecchi set himself up for possibly his best result of the season. And during the opening few laps a first-ever premier class win appeared to be on the cards before a one-place drop was handed to the Italian due to him running wide at turn one and gaining an advantage. Bezzecchi then began to fade after giving up the lead to Miller as Oliveira, Bagnaia and Marquez also made their way through in quick succession. Bezzecchi then dropped out of the points as his pace dropped off badly.
Fabio Quartararo - 2
(Qualified 4th, finished 17th)
A truly disastrous round for the championship leader as he saw nearly his entire lead in the MotoGP standings washed away thanks to a poor first lap and a lack of pace. Quartararo managed to make two overtakes after dropping down to 19th, however, Buriram was a race that showed his struggles in wet conditions and one that could be pivotal in the championship fight.
