04:21
KTM team-mates Pedro Acosta (9th) and Brad Binder (17th) are the only riders on the soft rear tyre.
Tyre wear was an issue for the KTMs during their long runs at the test.
Marc Marquez, 2025 MotoGP Thai Grand Prix. Credit: Gold and Goose
© Gold and Goose
2025 Thai MotoGP, Buriram: Friday Practice as it happened
Recap Friday practice for the season-opening 2025 Thai MotoGP round at Buriram.
The 2025 MotoGP season begins with a pair of Friday practice sessions at Buriram, the second of which will decide the top ten for direct Qualifying 2 access.
Reigning world champion Jorge Martin remains absent after suffering further hand injuries in training earlier this week and is replaced by Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori.
But Fabio di Giannantonio - also injured on day one of the Sepang test - is back for VR46.
Marc Marquez was fastest at the recent Buriram pre-season test, where he also delivered a peerless race simulation. The new Ducati Lenovo rider topped the timesheets ahead of brother Alex Marquez (Gresini), Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) and Pedro Acosta (KTM).
Last year’s title runner-up Francesco Bagnaia was fifth, as the factory Ducati team committed to keeping the GP24 engine, followed by the top Honda of Joan Mir with Fabio Quartararo in eighth for Yamaha.
FP1 takes place from 10:45 to 11:30am local time with afternoon practice from 3-4pm.
28 Feb 2025
04:20
10mins to go and Marc Marquez heads out to try his new setting.
04:19
Meanwhile it's an impressive start so far for Yamaha and Honda with Fabio Quartararo in 4th, the HRC team-mates Luca Marini and Joan Mir in 5th and 6th.
04:18
Replays seem to confirm that Marquez, like Bagnaia, is concerned about the rear sliding under hard braking. Marquez remains fastest by 0.4s from Bezzecchi.
04:16
Meanwhile Marc Marquez seems to be gesturing about weight transfer under braking with his crew chief Marco Marco Rigamonti. Gigi Dall’Igna is also listening in.
04:13
Bagnaia again runs wide, at Turn 3 and then again at Turn 5.
The Italian pits.
04:12
Bagnaia runs wide at Turn 5 after the rear steps out. He takes an unintended trip through the long lap loop.
04:10
Bagnaia improves to 8th place, unlike team-mate Marc Marquez he's running the soft front tyre.
04:09
Halfway through FP1: Marc Marquez 1m 29.423s, Marco Bezzecchi, Alex Marquez, Fabio Quartararo, Luca Marini, Joan Mir, Franco Morbidelli, Pedro Acosta, Miguel Oliveira, Fermin Aldeguer, Somkiat Chantra, Johann Zarco, Francesco Bagnaia, Maverick Vinales, Ai Ogura, Alex Rins, Jack Miller, Enea Bastianini, Raul Fernandez, Fabio di Giannantonio, Brad Binder, Lorenzo Savadori.
04:08
Replays show Francesco Bagnaia pointing out some kind of dash message to his Ducati mechanic, who gives a reassuring thumbs up and the Italian heads out of the pits.
04:05
Fermin Aldeguer is leading rookie in 10th for Gresini Ducati, with Somkiat Chantra 11th for LCR Honda and Ai Ogura 15th for Trackhouse Aprilia.
04:02
Fastest from each brand at the moment:
Marc Marquez (Ducati) - 1st
Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) - 2nd
Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) - 4th
Luca Marini (Honda) - 5th
Pedro Acosta (KTM) - 8th
04:01
Marc Marquez chose to start on the hard front and medium rear tyre compounds.
All riders are also on the medium rear, although most riders have picked the soft front for the early part of FP1.
03:58
At the opposite end of the timesheets, it's Brad Binder 18th, Raul Fernandez 19th, the returning Fabio di Giannantonio 20th, Aprilia stand-in Lorenzo Savadori 21st and rookie Ai Ogura 22nd.
03:57
Marc Marquez's current best is a 1m 29.423s.
03:56
10mins gone and the top 10 is:
Marc Marquez, Marco Bezzecchi, Alex Marquez, Fabio Quartararo, Luca Marini, Joan Mir, Franco Morbidelli, Pedro Acosta, Miguel Oliveira.
03:54
New Tech3 KTM rider Maverick Vinales raises his hand with some kind of technical issue and pulls off track.
03:52
And now it's Marc Marquez back on top, by 0.4s from new Aprilia rider Bezzecchi.
03:52
Marco Bezzecchi, one of the stars of the pre-season test, puts his RS-GP into the 1m 29s.
03:51
3 laps in and it's a Marquez one two with Marc ahead of Alex at the top, then LCR's Johann Zarco.
03:47
Green lights are on and FP1 is underway.
03:45
Meanwhile Somkiat Chantra starts his MotoGP debut, in front of his home fans.
03:44
Marc Marquez finished the pre-season on top and starts as favourite for a long awaited seventh MotoGP title, but some feel Ducati team-mate and double world champion Francesco Bagnaia didn't show his cards during testing.
03:41
It's a hot day at Buriram, with temperatures already in the early 30s and set to reach 36 this afternoon.
And it will only get hotter: 37 degrees on Saturday and 38 on Sunday.
03:38
Some lap times to watch out for....
Fastest 2025 Buriram test lap:
Marc Marquez (Ducati) 1m 28.855s
Official Thai MotoGP Records:
Best lap: Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) 1m 28.700s (2024)
Fastest race lap: Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati) 1m 30.896s (2023)
