BEZZECCHI SETS THE PACE IN MOTOGP’S FIRST FRIDAY OF THE YEAR - Motorsportsclicks

FP1 – Bezzecchi Leads as Aprilia Starts Strong

Aprilia continued its strong form at Buriram after last weekend’s pre-season test with Bezzecchi on top. In the first free practice session of the 2026 Thai Grand Prix, three Aprilia bikes finished inside the top four.

Marco Bezzecchi picked up right where he left off. After topping the test, he finished FP1 fastest with a time of 1:29.346. Like most riders, he used a medium rear tyre. His lap was slower than his soft-tyre best from the test (1:28.668), but it was still enough to lead the session.

Fabio Di Giannantonio was the best Ducati rider in second place with a 1:29.456, ahead of Bezzecchi’s Aprilia teammate Jorge Martin. The former world champion crashed early in the session but avoided the new MotoGP service-road restart penalty by pulling in the clutch during his lowside at the final corner. This kept the engine running and allowed him to rejoin quickly. He finished about two tenths behind Bezzecchi.

Ai Ogura placed a second Aprilia from Trackhouse in fourth. He improved late in the session after fitting new medium tyres at the front and rear. Although he has not yet matched his impressive MotoGP debut at Buriram last year, he was second during the recent test and set the fastest Sprint simulation.

Pedro Acosta ended the session in fifth for KTM, ahead of reigning world champion Marc Marquez. There are some questions around Marquez’s condition, as he recently suffered from a stomach illness and is still recovering from a right shoulder injury.

Francesco Bagnaia finished seventh, almost half a second behind Bezzecchi. Alex Marquez was ninth after being the fastest rider at the Sepang test earlier this year.

Luca Marini was tenth and the best Honda rider on the RC213V, while Alex Rins was the top Yamaha in 13th place.

FP2 – Bezzecchi Breaks the Record Despite Rain Threat

Marco Bezzecchi completed a perfect Friday at Buriram by leading the second practice session as well.

With dark clouds overhead and light rain threatening at times, the Aprilia rider set a new lap record of 1:28.526 near the end of the session. He finished a massive 0.421 seconds ahead of reigning champion Marc Marquez.

Fabio Di Giannantonio finished third after leading the early stages for VR46 Ducati. Pedro Acosta took fourth place, followed by Jorge Martin and Alex Marquez.

Two Hondas secured direct access to Qualifying 2, as Joan Mir and Johann Zarco both finished inside the top ten. Brad Binder also made it through for KTM. Ai Ogura crashed during the session but still managed to hold onto ninth place.

One of the biggest surprises was Francesco Bagnaia. The factory Ducati rider missed out on the top ten and will now have to fight his way through Qualifying 1. Other big names who also failed to make Q2 directly include Maverick Viñales, Franco Morbidelli, Raul Fernandez, and Fabio Quartararo.

Quartararo was the best Yamaha rider but could only manage 16th place.

After two sessions, Bezzecchi looks like the rider to beat. Aprilia appears fast, confident, and ready to challenge for victory in the opening round of the 2026 MotoGP season.