Marco Bezzecchi led all 26 laps at Buriram, beating Pedro Acosta by 5.543 seconds as Aprilia put four riders inside the top five.
Bezzecchi controls the race from pole
Marco Bezzecchi bounced back from his Sprint disappointment by winning the 2026 Grand Prix of Thailand for Aprilia Racing on Sunday, March 1.
Bezzecchi started from pole at the Chang International Circuit and led all 26 laps, completing the race in 39 minutes 36.270 seconds. He averaged 179.3km/h and never gave up control.
The Italian took the chequered flag 5.543 seconds clear of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Pedro Acosta. The win was Bezzecchi’s seventh in MotoGP and earned him 25 points.
That response carried extra weight after Bezzecchi crashed out of the lead in Saturday’s Sprint. He put the error behind him on Sunday, converting pole into a start-to-finish victory. Bezzecchi did not lose a single lap at the front as he and Aprilia turned their underlying speed into a complete result.
Acosta and Fernandez complete the podium
Acosta was Bezzecchi’s closest challenger, although the KTM rider never got within striking distance. He finished in 39 minutes 41.813 seconds and collected 20 points for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Raul Fernandez took third for Trackhouse Racing, 9.259 seconds behind Bezzecchi and 3.716 seconds adrift of Acosta. The podium earned him 16 points and put another Aprilia in the leading group.
Two Aprilia machines made the podium, and the manufacturer’s strength ran further down the order. Jorge Martin placed fourth for Aprilia Racing, 12.182 seconds behind his winning team-mate. Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura followed in fifth, 12.411 seconds back.
Martin and Ogura were separated by only 0.229 seconds at the line. Across its factory and satellite operations, Aprilia put four riders inside the top five, showing strength beyond Bezzecchi’s win.
Ducati’s podium run comes to an end
Ducati missed the MotoGP podium for the first time in five years. Fabio Di Giannantonio led its finishers in sixth for VR46, 16.845 seconds behind Bezzecchi.
Brad Binder finished seventh for KTM, only 0.518 seconds behind Di Giannantonio. Franco Morbidelli took eighth for VR46, ahead of Ducati factory rider Francesco Bagnaia in ninth. Luca Marini completed the top 10 for Honda HRC, 19.101 seconds behind the winner.
The top 10 reflected Aprilia’s clear advantage in Thailand. It filled four of the first five positions, while KTM took second and seventh. Ducati’s leading rider was sixth, with Marini putting Honda inside the top 10.
Marc Marquez retired with tyre issues. His withdrawal played a part in Ducati’s podium absence, although Aprilia’s pace and depth had already put the manufacturer under heavy pressure.
Points stretch through a competitive midfield
Johann Zarco placed 11th for LCR Honda, 0.802 seconds behind Marini. Enea Bastianini was 12th for Tech3 KTM, followed by LCR Honda’s Diogo Moreira in 13th.
Fabio Quartararo led Yamaha’s points scorers in 14th, finishing 30.823 seconds behind Bezzecchi and taking two points. Factory team-mate Alex Rins secured the final point in 15th, another 2.132 seconds back.
Maverick Viñales finished 16th for Tech3 KTM. Pramac Yamaha rider Toprak Razgatlioglu was classified 17th. The gaps showed how much the field had spread after the leading fight, with Quartararo over six seconds behind Moreira and Bezzecchi already more than half a minute ahead of 14th place.
Aprilia leaves Buriram with a benchmark
Bezzecchi’s 25-point haul gives his campaign an immediate base, while Aprilia’s collective pace supplied another important early marker. The factory team finished first and fourth. Trackhouse added third and fifth, giving both teams front-running speed and depth.
Bezzecchi also showed how quickly he could recover from Saturday’s setback. After crashing from the Sprint lead, he still had the pace to head every lap of the Grand Prix. His winning margin showed the response was decisive rather than cautious.
Acosta’s second place made KTM Aprilia’s nearest challenger in the final classification, while Fernandez delivered a major podium for Trackhouse. Ducati left Thailand facing the unusual outcome of a premier-class podium without one of its motorcycles.
Brazil comes next
MotoGP’s next scheduled event is the Brazilian Grand Prix at the Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna from March 20-22. The championship then heads directly to the Grand Prix of the Americas at the Circuit of the Americas from March 27-29.
Brazil will show whether Bezzecchi and Aprilia can carry their Buriram advantage to the next round, or whether Ducati, KTM and the rest can respond after his flawless 26-lap victory and Aprilia’s four finishes inside the top five.
