Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi delivered a commanding performance to win the MotoGP Thailand Grand Prix, leading from start to finish at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram. The Italian rider bounced back strongly after crashing in Saturday’s sprint race, securing a dominant victory and underlining Aprilia’s growing strength in the championship.
Bezzecchi controlled the race comfortably and crossed the line more than five seconds ahead of Pedro Acosta of KTM, who finished second after another impressive performance. Trackhouse Aprilia rider Raul Fernandez completed the podium in third, despite struggling with tyre degradation during the closing laps.
The race took a dramatic turn for defending champion Marc Marquez, who had started from the front row and was battling for a podium position when disaster struck. On lap 21 of the 26-lap race, the Spaniard suffered a sudden rear-tyre puncture while chasing Fernandez. Marquez was forced to retire immediately, later describing the moment as feeling “like I hit a big rock.”
The incident also marked the end of Ducati’s remarkable podium streak in MotoGP, which had lasted since the 2021 British Grand Prix. With Marquez out of contention, Ducati’s best finisher at Buriram was Fabio Di Giannantonio, who managed only sixth place.
Behind the leading trio, Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura rounded out the top five, highlighting a strong showing for Aprilia-powered machines throughout the race.
With the result, Acosta now leads the early MotoGP championship standings with 32 points, while Bezzecchi moves into second with 25. The Thai GP thus delivered both a statement victory for Aprilia and a dramatic twist in the title fight after Marquez’s costly retirement.
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