Alex Marquez edges Marc Marquez to lead the first day of MotoGP testing in Thailand

Alex Marquez led the first day of MotoGP pre-season testing at Chang International Circuit, finishing 0.129 seconds ahead of Ducati's Marc Marquez, who crashed twice. Just one second covered the leading 17 riders, suggesting a close contest at the following weekend's season-opening PT Grand Prix of Thailand.

MotoGP 2026 completed the opening day of its final official pre-season test, the Buriram Test, at Chang International Circuit.

Every team followed an intensive opening-day test programme. Ducati Lenovo's seven-time premier-class champion Marc Marquez crashed twice at Turn 12 in the morning, suffering minor arm abrasions, but was able to continue.

Most regular riders returned to testing, including Monster Energy Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo and Aprilia Racing's Jorge Martin. Gresini Racing's Fermin Aldeguer remained absent while recovering from surgery on his left thigh. Italian test rider Michele Pirro collected data in his place.

Alex Marquez of Gresini Racing topped the first day of testing with a best lap of 1:29.262, 0.129 seconds ahead of his brother Marc on the factory Ducati. VR46 Racing Team’s Franco Morbidelli was third, 0.189 seconds off the fastest time.

Aprilia Racing's Marco Bezzecchi took fourth, 0.200 seconds off the lead. Castrol Honda LCR's Johann Zarco was fifth at 0.205 seconds, followed by Trackhouse Racing's Raul Fernandez in sixth at 0.224 seconds.

KTM Tech3's Maverick Vinales was the fastest KTM rider on day one, placing eighth after a late improvement, 0.278 seconds off the lead. Prima Pramac Yamaha's Jack Miller was the quickest Yamaha in 17th at 1.063 seconds. Fabio Quartararo finished 18th, 1.245 seconds behind, after engine problems.

The rookies faced a demanding opening day of testing. LCR Honda's Diogo Moreira finished 11th at 1 minute 30.953 seconds, 1.691 seconds behind the leader. Prima Pramac Yamaha's Toprak Razgatlioglu was 21st, 2.312 seconds off the pace.

Pre-season testing continued for one more day on Sunday, 22 February, before Chang International Circuit hosted the season-opening PT Grand Prix of Thailand on 27 February–1 March.