05:39
Woah! Marc Marquez gets his Repsol Honda completely sideways during a practice start. The Spaniard was just 18th fastest this morning.
Francesco Bagnaia Jorge Martin , Sprint Race, Portuguese MotoGP, 25 March
2023 MotoGP Thailand: Friday practice - LIVE UPDATES
Reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia holds a 27-point lead over Jorge Martin heading into the Thai MotoGP, after the Pramac Ducati rider’s costly soft tyre gamble backfired on the final lap at Phillip Island.
Miguel Oliveira took his final victory for KTM in last year’s wet Buriram race, ahead of Ducati team-mates Jack Miller and Bagnaia, with Martin just ninth. But it had been VR46 rookie Marco Bezzecchi who took pole position from Martin and Bagnaia in the dry.
Wet weather is again a threat for all three days of this year’s grand prix weekend.
Alex Rins, who withdrew from Phillip Island due to ongoing pain from his Mugello leg fractures, will miss Thailand after undergoing further surgery.
27 Oct 2023
05:31
Jorge Martin finishes opening practice fastest by 0.238s from Aprilia's Maverick Vinales. Pol Espargaro snatches a late third ahead of brother Aleix. Franco Morbidelli puts Yamaha fifth.
05:28
While Martin is already exploring other tyre options, perhaps wary of last weekend and the threat of rain today, most others have stuck with the soft front so far.
Miguel Oliveira (20th) is the only other on the mediums while those to try the hard front are Vinales (now second), Espargaro (third), Raul Fernandez (9th) and Brad Binder (13th).
05:26
Martin keeps pushing and pulls a further 0.5s clear of Espargaro.
05:24
Jorge Martin fits new mediums front and rear to go fastest, by 0.146s from Aleix Espargaro.
05:20
Aleix Espargaro fits a new hard front tyre and pulls 0.3s clear of the field.
05:18
It looks like Fabio Quartararo is trying the longer exhausts on his M1 again this morning. He is currently 9th.
05:13
The entire 21-rider field is currently covered by just 0.707s!
05:11
Order at the halfway stage of FP1: Vinales, Alex Marquez, Martin, di Giannantonio, Aleix Espargaro, Raul Fernandez, Morbidelli, Nakagami, Quartararo, Bagnaia, Bezzecchi, Marc Marquez, Marini, Zarco, Miller, Augusto Fernandez, Pol Espargaro, Binder, Oliveira, Bastianini, Mir.
05:09
Meanwhile, title rival Jorge Martin pulls a plastic chin-piece add-on from his helmet and discards it as he leaves pit lane.
05:08
Reigning champion and title leader Francesco Bagnaia is currently 10th fastest, but only 0.3s from the top.
Bagnaia, who usually works on used tyres until the last minute on Friday, which has seen him sometimes caught out when he then fits a new soft rear for a tyre attack, said he might change his strategy this weekend.
So we might see an earlier time attack from Bagnaia in this afternoon's Practice, when the top ten receive direct Qualifying 2 access.
04:59
For comparison, the official race lap record is a 1m 30.904s from Marc Marquez in 2019. Marquez is currently 11th fastest after 15mins.
04:58
Maverick Vinales, who like team-mate Aleix Espargaro said he has no idea what to expect from the RS-GP this weekend after traction problems at Phillip Island last weekend and Buriram last year, is quickest on a 1m 31.484s with 33mins to go.
04:56
All riders are using the soft front and hard rear tyre combination at the moment.
04:53
Now the Monster Yamahas of Fabio Quartararo and Franco Morbidelli now head the timesheets, both are optimistic for Thailand after the similar heat, low grip and stiffer tyre carcass worked well for them in India.
04:52
Alex Marquez, still fighting pain from his rib fractures in India, fastest after 4 laps from Jorge Martin and Gresini team-mate Fabio di Giannantonio.
di Giannantonio is now the hot tip to replace Alex's brother Marc at Repsol Honda next year.
04:48
Marc Marquez heads out with a special helmet design, featuring blue and gold, inspired by "The beauty of the temples in Thailand"
04:46
The green lights are on and the 45-minute session begins.
04:36
Good morning from Buriram, where it's hot and cloudy - but dry - for opening MotoGP practice at the 2023 Thai Grand Prix.
