2025 Thai MotoGP, Buriram: Qualifying - LIVE UPDATES
Live updates from final practice and qualifying for the season-opening 2025 Thai MotoGP round at Buriram.
Day two of the season-opening Thai MotoGP at Buriram kicks off with final practice at 10:10am, swiftly followed by the first qualifying sessions of the year.
Alex Marquez snatched the top spot in Friday practice ahead of brother Marc, whose factory Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia was surprisingly left in Q1 after losing a lap due to incorrectly displayed yellow flags then being held up by Franco Morbidelli.
Morbidelli received a three place grid penalty for obstructing Bagnaia, with home rookie Somkiat Chantra suffering the same sanction for holding up Alex Marquez.
Saturday’s MotoGP track activities conclude with the 13-lap Sprint race, starting at 3pm local time, when temperatures are predicted to reach a scorching 37 degrees.
Marc Marquez loses time in the second half of the lap, but it doesn't matter.
The eight time world champion will start from pole position on his Ducati Lenovo debut.
Brother Alex will line-up second for Gresini with Francesco Bagnaia completing the front row.
Jack Miller heads row two ahead of a brilliant effort by rookie Ai Ogura.
The chequered flag is now out and riders on their final lap, including Marc Marquez, who is setting more red sectors...
Mir was trying to wrestle his Honda around the hairpin when it finally slid away.
And now there are even more of them, with Joan Mir falling at Turn 3.
Sure enough, Marc Marquez has a lap cancelled due to yellows.
Yellow flags to retrieve Bezzecchi's bike will cause a headache for the other riders.
Marco Bezzecchi crashes from his Aprilia at Turn 3. The Aprilia rider will start no higher than 7th.
Bagnaia doesn't improve, but Marc Marquez is setting red sectors... then makes a mistake and is wide at Turn 8.
Marc Marquez and the other are now out for their final pole attack.
Jack Miller, in Bagnaia's wheeltracks, is towed up to fourth.
Bagnaia slashes the gap to 0.173s on his first flying lap, to move onto the front row in third.
Bagnaia needs to find 0.477s to threaten team-mate Marc Marquez.
Bagnaia and Miller head out early for their final run.
Rookie Ai Ogura is a brilliant third behind the Marquez brothers.
Order as of the mid-session tyre change: Marc Marquez, Alex Marquez, Ogura, Bagnaia, Morbidelli, Bezzecchi, Acosta, Fernandez, Quartararo, Mir, Zarco, Miller.
11th to provisional pole for Marc Marquez on his 3rd lap. He's into the 1m 28s.
10mins to go: Bagnaia, Acosta, Alex Marquez, Mir, Morbidelli, Raul Fernandez, Quartararo, Bezzecchi, Ogura, Zarco, Marc Marquez, Miller.
Not a great first flying lap by Marc Marquez, while Bagnaia goes straight to the top with a 1m 29.2s.
Marc Marquez, who has often followed other riders in recent seasons, has a queue of riders behind him headed by Miller and Acosta.
Francesco Bagnaia has Alex Marquez and Fabio Quartararo attempting to stay in his wheeltracks... but the Italian is soon pulling clear.
All five manufacturers have at least one rider in Qualifying 2, but Ducati have been on pole for the past three years.
Marc Marquez puts his helmet on for his first MotoGP qualifying as a factory Ducati rider.
Bagnaia breathes a sigh of relief, he's through to Qualifying 2 and has still got two sets of new tyres to fight for pole.
Bagnaia and Jack Miller will now take on the top ten from Friday:
Alex MARQUEZ
Marc MARQUEZ
Pedro ACOSTA
Marco BEZZECCHI
Franco MORBIDELLI
Joan MIR
Raul FERNANDEZ
Fabio QUARTARARO
Ai OGURA
Johann ZARCO
Qualifying 1:
1. Bagnaia
2. Miller
3. di Giannantonio
4. Binder
5. Aldeguer
6. Marini
7. Oliveira
8. Vinales
9. Rins
10. Bastianini
11. Chantra
12. Savadori
Last lap: Jack Miller improves on his last lap and is just 0.006s behind Bagnaia.
Bagnaia and Miller will progress to Qualifying 2.
di Giannantonio misses taking second from Miller by just 0.051s.
