MotoGP 2026 officially gets under way in Buriram

Ducati Lenovo's seven-time premier-class champion Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing's championship runner-up Alex Marquez and Aprilia Racing's Marco Bezzecchi attended the official pre-race press conference in Buriram. Riders from all classes also gathered for photographs before the MotoGP 2026 season-opening PT Grand Prix of Thailand.

MotoGP 2026 was set to begin with PT Grand Prix of Thailand on 27 February–1 March at Chang International Circuit in Buriram, with fans around the world awaiting the new season.

The pre-race programme included official group photographs for MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3, signalling the start of the new season. The Moto4 Asia Cup was also due to open its season in Thailand.

The 2026 season was the final year of MotoGP's 1000cc engine regulations, giving teams a last opportunity to develop that generation of machines before the switch to 850cc engines in 2027.

Thai fans would be the first to see every manufacturer's new race bike in competition at the season opener, when the relative strengths of riders and teams were still uncertain.

Organisers opened the Grandstand to fans, who filled the viewing area and met riders for autographs and photographs. Riders welcomed the enthusiastic reception from Thai supporters.

The evening press conference featured leading title contenders: Ducati Lenovo's seven-time premier-class champion Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing's championship runner-up Alex Marquez and Aprilia Racing's Marco Bezzecchi. Bezzecchi had finished third in the previous season's standings and set the fastest time at the final pre-season test.

Marc Marquez said he felt stronger after stomach problems during two or three days of testing. His improving condition and growing comfort with the bike gave him confidence, but he stressed that racing would show how Ducati compared with rivals who were also progressing.

He was also asked about Alex Marquez, Marco Bezzecchi and team-mate Francesco Bagnaia, who had performed strongly in testing.

Marquez said the title challenge became harder each year. A few riders had been faster in pre-season testing, although he felt closer to them. With a 22-round season ahead, the first race would provide indications of competitiveness rather than decide the championship.

Alex Marquez said the team had worked well from the Sepang test through to Buriram and was focused on being fully prepared for the opening round. He felt better prepared than the previous year and said the team would continue taking a careful, race-by-race approach.

Bezzecchi said Aprilia had worked through a demanding Sepang test before finding stronger form in Buriram. His immediate aim was a better start to the season than the previous year. Marc Marquez had won the previous ThaiGP on his way to the 2025 world title, while Bagnaia held the circuit benchmark at 1 minute 28.700 seconds from 2024.

Practice for PT Grand Prix of Thailand 2026 began on Friday, 27 February, followed by qualifying and the Sprint on Saturday, 28 February. Sunday's Grand Prix on 1 March was broadcast live on True4U Channel 24 and through SPOTV channel 689 on TrueVisions Now.