Thailand MotoGP: Marc Marquez beats brother Alex to win season opener

Six-time world champion Marc Marquez won the season-opening Thai MotoGP on Sunday to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new factory Ducati team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint.

The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732sec for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first chequered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third.

It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign.

He led from pole in stifling heat at Buriram and opened a comfortable 1.5-second lead over his younger brother by lap seven when he suddenly slowed on turn three to lose the lead.

Whatever the problem was, it was short-lived, as Marc tucked into the second spot and put relentless pressure on Alex as the brothers tussled for the lead, with Bagnaia lurking less than a second adrift in third.

“Yesterday I was happy, today I am super happy. I mean it’s a dream,” said Marc Marquez.

Alex Marquez was made to work hard to hold the lead on his Gresini Ducati, and with four laps to go, Marc made his move, diving underneath at turn 12 and then disappearing off into the distance.

ALSO READ | Atiqa Mir, 10-year-old racer creates history, becomes first Indian to land F1 Academy spot

Franco Morbidelli was fourth and Japanese rookie Ai Ogura fifth on his MotoGP debut.

Marquez senior had been fast all week, going quickest in opening practice on Friday before being pipped by brother Alex in the afternoon session.

“For one moment I thought I might hold on to win,” said Alex Marquez.

“But he was able to not use a lot of rear tyre and I was using up everything,” he added.

Marc Marquez enjoyed a strong pre-season with the factory Ducati, having joined from Honda, and is strongly fancied to win a first world crown since 2019.

Marquez and Bagnaia have been hailed as a factory Ducati dream team but some observers have cautioned that the high-octane mix of two fast high-profile racers could prove too combustible.

“I gave my all. But Marc, he was playing with us all day. So maximum ambition was to finish in P2 but it we finished in P3,” said Bagnaia.