2025 Official Buriram MotoGP test: Marc Marquez surges to top spot on day one
Eight-time world champion takes factory Ducati to top spot
Marc Marquez ended the opening day of the Buriram MotoGP pre-season test fastest of all after a late time attack on his factory Ducati put him 0.465s clear of the field.
The final two-day test of the pre-season is important for all, but seemingly more so for the works Ducati squad as it tries to decide on what engine it will use for the next two seasons.
Team boss David Tardozzi confirmed prior to the end of the session that it was likely to race with the GP24 motor this season.
That appears to have been the engine Marquez spent most of his day on and the one with which he set the fastest time of Wednesday.
Having sat inside the top two into the final hour of running, Marquez made a late surge with a 1m29.184s to go fastest.
He beat his brother Alex Marquez, the Gresini rider on the full GP24 taking over top spot with a 1m29.649s during the third hour of the session.
The lap stood as the benchmark up until the closing moments, when Marc Marquez lit up the timing screens.
Franco Morbidelli completed an all-Ducati top three for VR46, 0.034s further behind Alex Marquez.
Marco Bezzecchi was fourth on the leading Aprilia with a 1m29.794s, while Pedro Acosta led the KTM charge in fifth.
Luca Marini put in another encouraging day this pre-season for Honda in sixth with a 1m29.928s, with the Italian heading his HRC counterpart Johann Zarco (LCR).
Francesco Bagnaia was eighth on the sister factory team Ducati, with KTM’s Brad Binder ninth despite a late crash at Turn 5.
Pramac’s Jack Miller was the leading Yamaha in 10th with a 1m30.047s, while Honda’s Joan Mir put himself between the M1s ahead of Alex Rins and Fabio Quartararo.
Fermin Aldeguer was the top rookie for Gresini Ducati in 14th, with Trackhouse Racing’s Ai Ogura completing the top 15.
Both Tech3 KTM riders Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales looked to struggle again on Wednesday in Thailand down in 16th and 18th, while Raul Fernandez was 19th for Trackhouse after 33 laps on his comeback from injury.
