Sayujya Apte, Author at Desi Racing Co

The 2025 MotoGP season roared to life under the blisteringly hot sun at Buriram’s Chang International Circuit. The first GP of this season delivered a historic and emotional comeback for Marc Marquez who won a season opener since 2014 and is leading the championship for the first time since Valencia 2019. Join us as we review, session by session, the spectacle of the Thai GP.

Marc Márquez returns with a bang

Marc Márquez posing on the podium after snagging the victory. Credit: Motogp.com

In his debut in red, Marc Márquez comes in with a bang, snatching the triple-pole position in qualifying, victory in the sprint race and victory in the Grand Prix. He has an overall amazing weekend, comfortably cruising to a victory in the sprint race. This was Marc’s s 63rd MotoGP win and his third in Thailand (along with 2018 and 2019). He also equalled MotoGP Legend Dani Pedrosa in third on the list of riders with the most MotoGP podiums with 112.

However, in the Grand Prix, he inexplicably drops down to P2 behind his brother on the sixth lap.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! @marcmarquez93 SLOWS DOWN AND LOSES THE LEAD 🚨#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/fUnyJB9l7B
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 2, 2025

Allegedly, this was due to the tire pressure rule – Márquez had to keep his tire pressure over 1.82 bar for at least 60% of the race or suffer a 15-second penalty. If Marquez were to keep leading the pack, he would’ve been allegedly in violation of this rule, so he dropped behind his brother to pick up heat form his bike and keep the tire pressure high enough. He did overtake Alex in the final laps of the GP, winning the debut round of a season for the first time in 11 years.

Alex Márquez a surprising second

Alex entering the pitlane after coming 2nd. Credit: @GresiniRacing on X

Alex Márquez had a standout weekend – he qualified in P2, came second in the sprint and came second in the Grand Prix. He even led the GP for almost 18 laps. Throughout the sprint, he masterfully defended against Francesco Bagnaia, retaining his position. Even while he was leading his brother, he gave him a hard time overtaking.

Alex’s record has shown that he takes time to get in form. He won the Moto3 championship in his 3rd year in the series, and the Moto2 championship in his 5th. Currently, this would be Alex’s 6th year in MotoGP. Could he be a title contender this season, going against Pecco, Martin or even his brother Marc?

Ai Ogura’s MotoGP Debut, Aprilia capable enough for Martin?

Of the four rookies this year, Ai Ogura was the best performer in the Thai GP. Riding on an Aprilia for Trackhouse Racing, Ogura qualified P5. His performance in the sprint was consistent, holding on to P4 throughout 14 laps, fending off the likes of Miller and Morbidelli. In the beginning of the GP, Ogura was even pressuring Bagnaia from P4, however, in the later laps he fell behind to P5, being overtaken by Morbidelli.

It wasn't a fluke 💪@AiOgura79 brings an outstanding P5 home at his debut 👏#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/4IWilk3I1U
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 2, 2025

Seeing the Aprilia being placed consistently in the top 5 by a rookie must have instilled some extra confidence in Jorge Martin about the capabilities of the bike. Unfortunately, it appears like Martin is going to be out of the picture for a few more races to come, no thanks to the surgery he underwent.

KTM all over the grid, Acosta underperforms

Acosta before the GP. Credit : @KTM_Racing on X

Of all the manufacturers, KTM’s performance in the debut round was the most underwhelming. Only one of their riders, Pedro Acosta, even made it into Q2. KTM’s best performer in the sprint race was Acosta, who finished in P6, with Binder in P8. The Tech3 crew consisting of Viñales and Bastianini finished in a disappointing P14 and P18 respectively.

In the Grand Prix, Acosta botched the start and fell back into P9. He tried to fight for a total of three laps, after which he crashed out and fell straight to the back of the pack. KTM’s best performer in the GP was Binder, who finished in P8.

Safe to say, this was an underwhelming performance for KTM. Last year, KTM looked like the only manufacturer who could challenge the Ducati dominance. Along with that, they had built a star studded roster with the likes of Bastianini and Viñales. However, both of them have not yet been able to adapt to the bike, and are performing below their potential.

The comeback of the Japanese manufacturers?

Johann Zarco, Honda’s best performer this weekend. Credit : @HondaRacingGLB on X

Unlike last year, Yamaha and Honda are not at the absolute back of the pack! In fact, Honda had two riders finish in the Top 10 for the sprint race, and one in the GP too. Johann Zarco finished P7 for his best result with Honda, which is also Honda’s best result since Marc
Marquez was sixth in Thailand in 2023.

Meanwhile, Yamaha had Quartararo finish P7 in the sprint race, and Miller finish just out of the Top 10 in the Grand Prix. This is a sign of improvement for the Japanese manufacturers. It remains to be seen whether they will carry this momentum throughout this season and the next, and if they will be competing for the top anytime soon.

Highlights of the Thai GP

Following are some moments in the weekend that I consider particularly exciting :

The battle between PA37 and BB33 for P8 in the sprint race.
JM43’s crash out from P6 in the sprint race.
PA37’s crash out in the third lap of the Grand Prix.
The battle between JM43 and MB72 in the Grand Prix.
Marc’s overtake on Alex in the Grand Prix.

Championship Standing

This is what the championship standings look like after the Thai GP :