Bezzecchi wins the ThaiGP season opener as attendance hits a record high and Marquez suffers tyre failure

Marco Bezzecchi won the MotoGP season-opening PT Grand Prix of Thailand for Aprilia Racing ahead of KTM's Pedro Acosta. Reigning champion Marc Marquez retired after a tyre failure. The organisers reported a new attendance record of 228,228 for the weekend.

The MotoGP 2026 season-opening Grand Prix took place on Sunday, 1 March 2026, at Chang International Circuit in Buriram. The organisers reported a record weekend attendance of 228,228.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul presided over the opening ceremony alongside MotoGP Sports Entertainment Group CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta and FIM President Jorge Viegas. They joined Thai fans for the national anthem to mark the official start of the season.

After two days of practice, qualifying and Sprint action, Sunday brought the Grand Prix races and decided the weekend’s winners in each class.

The 26-lap MotoGP race began with Aprilia Racing’s Marco Bezzecchi on pole following his Sprint crash. Ducati Lenovo Team’s Marc Marquez and Trackhouse MotoGP Team’s Raul Fernandez lined up second and third. Sprint winner Pedro Acosta of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing started sixth.

Bezzecchi recovered from Saturday's Sprint crash to dominate Sunday's Grand Prix. Starting from pole, he led from Turn 1 and won in 39 minutes 36.270 seconds, becoming Aprilia's first rider to claim three consecutive victories.

Acosta finished second after starting sixth. Once he found his rhythm, he passed Marquez and Aprilia Racing’s Jorge Martin before overtaking Raul Fernandez late in the race. He finished 5.543 seconds behind the winner, with Fernandez third, 9.259 seconds back.

Jorge Martin finished fourth, 12.182 seconds behind the winner. Ai Ogura of Trackhouse MotoGP Team advanced from 11th on the grid to fifth, finishing 12.411 seconds back.

Marc Marquez was fighting for a top-five finish when a rear-tyre failure at Turn 4 forced him to retire with six laps remaining. Gresini Racing's Alex Marquez crashed on the following lap, while Honda HRC's Joan Mir also retired with a mechanical problem.

Ducati riders faced a difficult race. Their highest finisher was Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team’s Fabio Di Giannantonio in sixth, 16.845 seconds behind the winner. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder was seventh (+17.363), while Franco Morbidelli took eighth with a final-corner pass (+18.227).

Ducati Lenovo's Francesco Bagnaia started 13th and moved into ninth early in the race but could make no further progress. He finished 18.340 seconds behind the winner, followed by Honda HRC Castrol's Luca Marini in tenth at 19.101 seconds.

After the opening round, Acosta led the MotoGP standings with 32 points, ahead of Bezzecchi on 25 and Raul Fernandez on 23. Reigning champion Marc Marquez scored no points in the main race and was eighth overall with nine points.

Two red flags following crashes reduced the Moto2 race to seven laps. Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP's Manuel Gonzalez won in 11 minutes 11.575 seconds, just 0.099 seconds ahead of BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2's Izan Guevara. CFMOTO Inde Aspar's Daniel Holgado finished third, 0.454 seconds behind.

The 19-lap Moto3 race was decided by a photo finish. David Almansa of Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP won in 32:14.186, just 0.003 seconds ahead of CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team’s Maximo Quiles. Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Valentin Perrone finished third, 9.480 seconds back.

Thailand secured a five-year extension to its MotoGP hosting agreement, continuing the Grand Prix of Thailand through the 2031 season and reinforcing the country's place on the international motorsport calendar.