MotoGP Grand Prix Thailand: Marc Marquez secures double victory in epic Ducati Lenovo debut weekend in Buriram

Marc Marquez's dream weekend in Buriram marks a great start to his career as a Ducati Lenovo rider, securing double victories in both the Sprint and Race.

His brother Alex Marquez put up a great fight against the six-time world champion, earning a Marquez 1-2 in both races for the season opener this weekend.

Francesco Bagnaia rounded off both podiums in Buriram but struggled in the extreme weather conditions throughout the weekend, settling for third place rather than adding to his victory tally.

The star of the show, however, was rookie rider Ai Ogura who put in the best qualifying and race results for a rookie in six years, finishing in the top five for both races.

This strong start to the season makes Marc Marquez the first championship leader in what looks to be a season for Ducati dominance.

Marc Marquez pulled off the double in his debut weekend with new team Ducati Lenovo, fighting off his brother Alex for the lead.

The six-time world champion has shown incredible pace during Round 1, marking a strong start to the 2025 season as the first championship leader of the year.

Marquez said: "Yesterday, I was happy. Today, I'm super happy.

"I mean, this is a dream. It's a dream to start my new journey with Ducati like this in Thailand where I won my last four championships, to be here with my brother, you know, mate, incredible."

Gresini rider Alex Marquez took the fight down to the wire against brother Marc.

After snatching the lead from Marc in the middle stages of the stage, Alex held onto the lead until the penultimate lap when his brother jumped him for the lead.

Alex Marquez said: "I thought he [Marc] was trying not to use a lot of rear tyre.

"I was using everything, I was using all the energy because, you know, when you don't have it, literally, you need to push a bit more, and you cannot really save tyre.

"But in the end, you know, second was our maximum target today, I said yesterday already.

"So to keep Pecco [Bagnaia] behind, you know, it's not easy, he's a world champion, and you have another experience.

"So yeah, I just put my 100% to the end. I'm super happy to be today and there on the podium again."

Two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia struggled throughout the race to manage his tyres during the extreme Thai heat.

Despite his blisteringly quick pace, Bagnaia could not take the fight directly to the Marquez brothers.

Bagnaia said: "I gave my all and I could not be too close to Alex to try and attack.

"Marc was, he was playing with us all the way.

"So my maximum ambition was to finish in P2 but we finished in P3.

"I tried my best, but I was slower and I was losing more time in some parts of the track."

Marc Marquez pulls off the double in his debut weekend for Ducati Lenovo, securing both Sprint and Race victories at the Chang International Circuit.

His brother Alex Marquez comes home in second place after a fierce brotherly battle for the lead was sparked.

Francesco Bagnaia settles for third place again, failing to catch up to the Marquez brothers today.

Alex Marquez retained his lead up until Lap 23 and pushed his Gresini bike to the limit in the extreme Thai heat. Marc Marquez was desperately trying to close the gap to his brother and jump him for the lead, but Alex shut the door in every attempt.

Finally, Marc pulled off the move after tailing his brother through Turn 11 and snatched the lead around the inside of Turn 12. The Ducati Lenovo rider then storms ahead and pulled 1.1s away from his brother.

The race began with a temperature of 36°C but it has become increasingly hotter each lap, forcing the riders to perform in near 40 degree heat.

The main battles are taking place in the midfield as Jack Miller attempts to send it down the inside of Marco Bezzecchi for sixth place, but Bezzecchi puts on a great defensive display and holds the position. Neither rider can reach Ai Ogura running smoothly in fifth place.

Another battle unfolds between Brad Binder and Raul Fernandez for the final points-scoring positions. The two ride side by side into the final sector of the track, but it was Fernandez who prevailed and retained 10th place.

At the front of the pack, Alex Marquez still leads the pack around the Chang International Circuit but Marc is sitting just 0.1s behind his brother. The two bikes are practically held together by a string as they ride so painfully close to one another.

Alex Marquez has retained the lead of the race after snatching the position from his brother Marc, but the Ducati Lenovo rider is riding extremely close to his brother in an effort to reclaim his lead. Francesco Bagnaia creeps behind the two brothers, inserting himself into the fight for victory.

Honda have proved to be a powerhouse so far this weekend, as their bikes handle the extreme heat very well. Aprilia are also making their mark, with the Trackhouse Racing duo occupying the fifth and ninth slots in the line-up.

Rookie Ai Ogura is defending hard against Jack Miller who looks to take back the position Ogura stole earlier, but the young Japanese rider is hard to pass. Previously running in seventh place, Joan Mir crashes on the exit of Turn 12 as he runs wide into the corner and ends up in the gravel.

The Marquez brothers are engaging in a fierce battle for the lead after Alex snatched the lead from Marc. Marc Marquez has managed to stay within 0.2s of the Gresini rider, riding extremely close to his brother. Practically hugging his rear tyre, the Ducati Lenovo rider is riding as close to the limit as possible in pursuit of the race lead.

Meanwhile, Francesco Bagnaia has found his element and is running quicker than both Marquez brothers. He is gaining more and more time on them, and is boasting a similar lap time to the two brothers. Franco Morbidelli follows in fourth place, as quick as the top three.

In the midfield, Jack Miller is forced to defend his sixth place position from Raul Fernandez who hopes to join his Trackhouse Racing teammate Ai Ogura in fifth place. The Aprilia satellite team are showing an incredible pace, so if Jorge Martin is watching from home, he should be pleased with the bike he will return to.

Marc Marquez momentarily managed to break free from his brother Alex Marquez, pulling 1.2s away from the Gresini rider to lead the pack around the Chang International Circuit. Marquez is riding smoothly around the track, seeming unaffected by the roasting Thai heat.

In just a flash, Marc slipped up when checking the back of his bike and lost his gap in a less than a second. This allowed Alex to storm past around the outside of Marc to snatch the lead from his brother on the exit of Turn 3. The Marquez duo spark a fierce on-track battle as Marc creeps behind his brother to regain his lead.

His teammate, however, looks to be struggling with the heat and his tyre choice of soft front compounds. Bagnaia is falling short of his speedy teammate Marc Marquez, but is safe from the pursuits of Ai Ogura.

The fastest rider on track is Alex Marquez, setting his sights on his brother Marc Marquez who leads the pack into Turn 1. The gap to his brother is 0.6s on Lap 3 but decreases nearly every corner. It seems as though Francesco Bagnaia is struggling on the soft tyre compound as he falls under pressure from Ai Ogura.

Pedro Acosta lost the front heading into Turn 1 on Lap 4, but managed to recover his bike and continue the race. Acosta sped into Turn 1, running way too wide and ended up in the gravel but luckily he was able to jump back on the bike.

Meanwhile, a battle ensues for fourth place between Franco Morbidelli and Ai Ogura. Morbidelli sends it down the inside of Turn 3 for fourth place, while Ogura lets him pass. This gives Bagnaia a bit of breathing space for the early stages of the race.

Marc Marquez storms off the starting straight, leading by a car's length into Turn 1 while chaos unfolds behind. Alex Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia scuffled off the line, slightly touching on the entry to Turn 1, forcing Alex to run wide and lose second place.

Alex pulls one back on the two-time world champion and retakes his second place in the middle sector. Ai Ogura then forces his way into the fight and creeps up behind Jack Miller, jumping him for fourth place as he did yesterday. The Japanese rider set his sights on Bagnaia and cut the gap down to just 0.3s.

The riders have set off on the warm-up lap under a fierce temperature of 36°C...

Will the heat play the biggest role in the race?

The riders have swarmed the track, ready to take their slots on the starting straight. Conditions are predicted to be less extreme than yesterday, but the Thai heat is practically guaranteed to catch out any riders that are slipping.

The Marquez brothers have opened the 2025 season on an amazing note, topping the timesheets together in glorious fashion. Six-time world champion Marc Marquez has got off to a great start with his new team, Ducati Lenovo. Marquez qualified on pole on his first outing with Ducati, then cruised to victory in the Sprint race to claim his first win in red.

His brother Alex had an equally smooth weekend so far, securing a P2 start on the grid during qualifying before going on to retain this position during the Sprint race. The Gresini rider put in a near-perfect performance during the Sprint and managed to hold off the two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia.

The brothers started their Sunday by leading the pack around the Chang International Circuit during practice, finishing first and second once again. Set to start on the front row for the race today, the Marquez brothers are bound to each put up their own fight for the win.

While Marc Marquez has been slightly faster this weekend, fans should not doubt Alex as he has come to the first round of the 2025 season as a completely reformed rider. Alex Marquez is as quick as ever and eager to pick up some crucial points for Gresini.

Ducati have always been subject to conversations about dominance, much like the greats in other motorsport like Mercedes and Red Bull. As a constructor, Ducati have already managed to start the 2025 season with an all-red podium for the sprint.
With the reigning world champion Jorge Martin out with injury for the first few rounds,  it could be a Ducati sweep if their competitors can’t catch up. Last season was historic as MotoGP’s first independent champion was crowned with Martin taking the fight straight to the factory Ducati team.

Martin was the main rider last season to consistently challenge the mighty Ducati, and his absence may allow them to cruise to victory. However, there were a handful of strong riders that proved their might during the sprint yesterday. Whether it’s rookie Ai Ogura or the Pramac rider Jack Miller, someone will have to work twice as hard to upset the Ducatis.

Marc Marquez cruised to victory in a glorious Thai Sprint race, claiming his maiden win for the factory Ducati team on his debut race with the motor giants.

The Marquez duo dominated the race from start to finish, pulling nearly two seconds ahead of the rest of the pack as Alex Marquez earned a second-place finish for Gresini.

It was an all-Ducati podium as Francesco Bagnaia rounded off the top three for the factory team, setting his sights on the full race victory tomorrow.

The star of the show was undoubtedly Ai Ogura, the young Japanese rookie who earned a fourth-place finish on his debut in the premier class.

Ogura brought Aprilia's satellite team Trackhouse Racing to the top five amid a Ducati battle, carving out his mark as the rookie to watch this season.

Yesterday, we were given a sensational race debut by the young Japanese rider Ai Ogura recently signed for Aprilia’s satellite team, Trackhouse Racing. In his very first weekend in the premier class, Ogura qualified in fifth place behind Jack Miller. 

The 24-year-old made headlines when he took the fight straight to two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia during the sprint yesterday, preventing the Ducati rider from cutting the gap to the Marquez duo.

Aprilia knew Ogura was a talent to watch, as his Moto2 campaign was one for the ages. The 2024 season saw him run away with the title with over 40 points to spare from the runner-up. Ogura came away with six wins, five poles, and 19 podiums in 74 races during his Moto2 campaign.

Taking inspiration from the two-time world champion, Ogura said: "I thought the riders were going to ride much more aggressive, but they were riding smooth.

"That [being smooth] is exactly what I learned from Pecco. I was just trying to copy what he was doing. Because to ride behind Pecco for 13 laps is really quality for me.

"I don't really care about the position, I just want to give my maximum and the position is the position."

The grid is back at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, a motorsport-adoring town in East Thailand. Although it may not be an old circuit full of history, the Chang International Circuit has always promised great racing.

Designed by Hermann Tilke, the circuit was opened in 2014 to welcome the Japanese Super GT series. Several other GT racing series have driven around this exciting circuit, but a year passed before bikes hit the track.

It boasts 12 turns in a clockwise direction mixed with several long straights. The circuit is 4.55km with many overtaking opportunities, but the main challenge is balancing accuracy with tyre management in intense conditions. The heat and humidity can be fatal for even the most experienced riders.

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