David Almansa produced a dominant weekend at the 2026 Moto3 Thai Grand Prix in Buriram, claiming pole, topping final practice and then edging Máximo Quiles by 0.003 seconds in a dramatic 19-lap photo finish to win the season-opening race. Riding a Pirelli-shod Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP KTM, Almansa started from pole, led for much of the race and carried the better exit from the last corner to the line to secure victory — the closest Moto3 finish since the 2013 Australian Grand Prix.

Almansa set the tone in practice and qualifying: he topped Saturday morning FP2 with a 1:40.922 lap on the 4.55km Chang International Circuit (the only rider in the 1:40s in FP2) and then took pole with a 1:40.088 in qualifying, a time that eclipsed Jose Antonio Rueda’s 2025 all-time lap record of 1:40.350. FP2 placed Adrian Fernández and Máximo Quiles among the session leaders as well (reports list Fernández’s FP2 time as either 1:41.278 or 1:41.202), and Álvaro Carpe and Fernández filled the second and third slots on the grid with 1:40.518 and 1:40.693 respectively.

The race furnished tense moments and drama: Quiles, who had started fourth, briefly took the lead on lap 11 before running wide at Turn 1 and allowing Almansa back through; Quiles launched a last-corner attack but Almansa’s momentum to the line decided the outcome. Quiles finished a scant 0.003 seconds behind, while Valentín Perrone came home third 9.480 seconds back. Álvaro Carpe was fourth and Moto3 debutant Veda Pratama fifth; Adrian Fernández finished sixth. The result moved Almansa to the top of the Moto3 standings with 25 points, Quiles sat second on 20 and Perrone third on 16. The race also featured one retirement (Cormac Buchanan) and incidents including Ryusei Yamanaka and Guido Pini crashing earlier and remounting.

Marco Bezzecchi converted pole into victory at the Thailand Grand Prix in Buriram, leading every lap to claim his seventh MotoGP win and a third consecutive triumph that continued the streak from the final two races of the previous season. Bezzecchi had been fastest in every session he entered but endured a difficult weekend — he crashed out of the Sprint and suffered a heavy qualifying crash that deployed his airbag and left him sore — yet he kept pole for Sunday’s race and dominated the Grand Prix itself.

The weekend was also marked by tire drama and wider Ducati struggles. Marc Márquez’s race ended when his rear tire delaminated and came off the rim at Turn 6, forcing his retirement; Ducati failed to record a podium at Buriram for the first time since the 2021 British Grand Prix, their best-placed rider being Fabio di Giannantonio in sixth. Pedro Acosta, who race stewards promoted to the Sprint win after Márquez was penalized for contact and who leads the early championship as the first KTM rider to top the standings this season, finished second in the Grand Prix.

Raúl Fernández completed the podium in third despite losing pace and suffering a late physical issue, with Jorge Martín fourth. Aprilia benefited from a strong showing, with Fernández on the podium and Ai Ogura recovering to finish inside the top five. Alex Márquez crashed with five laps remaining and Francesco Bagnaia was promoted to ninth following that incident.

“I made a mistake by touching the inside white line,” Marco Bezzecchi said after crashing out of the 13‑lap Thai MotoGP Sprint on lap two. Bezzecchi, who had taken pole for the weekend with a 1:28.652 Q2 lap, briefly retook the lead from Marc Márquez early in the sprint but ran wide and lost the front while trying to close the racing line. Reports differ on whether the incident happened at turn eight or turn nine; in any case the crash ended his sprint and left him unable to rejoin. Pedro Acosta inherited the win, Márquez was promoted to second and Aprilia’s Raúl Fernández completed the podium.

The crash capped a troubled weekend for Bezzecchi, who topped most sessions but suffered multiple crashes — including a heavy qualifying spill that deployed his airbag and, by some counts, three incidents across the event. He accepted responsibility, apologized to his Aprilia Racing team and rejected suggestions that earlier on‑track skirmishes caused the fall. Bezzecchi said the front closed after touching the white line, that the track felt worse during the race and that missing sprint laps would hinder his preparation for Sunday’s longer Grand Prix.

Aprilia’s team principal had urged caution before the sprint, warning riders to “play clever,” and team officials noted the weekend still represented a strong start for the factory, with other Aprilia riders finishing high in the sprint and Raúl Fernández reaching the podium. Bezzecchi said the team would analyze telemetry and data in the pits and that he would work in the garage to get ready for the main race — where he will still line up from pole despite the Sprint retirement.

Pedro Acosta was declared the winner of the opening Sprint at the Thailand GP in Buriram after race stewards penalized Marc Márquez one position for forcing Acosta wide at the final corner. Márquez accepted the one-place drop in parc fermé following steward Simon Crafar’s decision, promoting Acosta to victory on the official results — Acosta’s first MotoGP win in any format, achieved at the season opener of his third campaign.

Marco Bezzecchi had dominated the weekend, topping practice sessions and setting a practice lap record of 1:28.526 before taking pole with a 1:28.652 in qualifying. He suffered two crashes over the weekend, including a heavy Q2 tumble that deployed his airbag and left him sore, and he crashed from the lead in the Sprint while attempting to open a gap; that incident removed him from contention and left Acosta and Márquez to duel for victory.

Acosta executed a decisive pass on the penultimate lap and Márquez lunged back at the final corner; after a stewards’ review the late lunge was judged to have forced Acosta wide, triggering Márquez’s demotion. Raúl Fernández finished third on the road, roughly half a second behind the leading pair, while Ai Ogura recovered to fourth. Jorge Martín crossed fifth on the road but faced an eight-second sanction for a suspected tire-pressure infringement that could alter the official finishing order; that penalty remained under review at the time of reporting, and Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi called the sanction “unfair.” The 13-lap Buriram Sprint produced a landmark early-season victory for Acosta after an eventful qualifying and sprint day.

Marco Bezzecchi topped both Friday practice sessions at the Thai MotoGP in Buriram and produced a late lap that set a new record (one report put it at 1:28.526), finishing roughly 0.4 seconds clear of Marc Márquez. He credited his crew’s quick, last-minute reaction to looming storm conditions and praised improvements in Aprilia’s stability and weekend setup, but downplayed favorite status — “Marquez is the favorite, not me” and “I’ll be happy with a good start.” He declined to elaborate on aerodynamic rumours and warned that Ducati and Márquez will remain major obstacles going forward.

Márquez reached Q2 and was second fastest on Friday while still managing recovery from a shoulder injury that has limited his braking position and riding style. He rode with Ducati’s 2024-spec aerodynamic package to reduce strain on his right shoulder, said he was “not riding in an automatic way,” and reported feeling better on used tires than on new rubber. Starting the session on a medium rear tire was a calculated risk that nearly cost him a Q2 spot when light rain and a late pit call complicated track action; he called himself “lucky” to progress. He also acknowledged Bezzecchi and Aprilia looked a step ahead, in part because of their ability to exploit Michelin’s harder rear-tire construction.

Dark clouds, intermittent rain and strong winds repeatedly shaped the session, prompting teams to prioritize early banker laps and make rapid setup changes. Aprilia’s strong early running — at one point taking three of the top four places in practice — and Bezzecchi’s record lap gave the factory momentum into qualifying and the sprint, but riders and teams noted that Friday form, heavily influenced by weather and tire strategy, did not guarantee race-day performance.

Pecco Bagnaia failed to reach Q2 after posting the 15th-fastest time in Friday practice at Buriram and was the only GP26 rider to miss the top group. He blamed a rushed approach and the wrong setup, saying “I just worked bad” and “I’m in Q1 because of my own fault, I was in too much of a hurry and messed up,” and cited a degraded new setup, a hurried tire change when rain threatened, and a tailwind on the back straight as compounding factors.

He nevertheless praised aspects of the GP26, noting later braking and greater stability in the morning, and confirmed he stayed with the 2024 fairing rather than the 2025 aerodynamic package for the event. Bagnaia vowed to push on Saturday to return to Q2 and “give it 100%,” as the team planned overnight changes and further setup work ahead of qualifying.

Fabio Di Giannantonio, by contrast, finished third in the opening practice and reported he had “everything in place,” praising the GP26’s race pace and a more honest front end while confirming he was running the factory aerodynamics package. He said his best lap was almost half a second off Marco Bezzecchi’s benchmark but that the team had margin to improve; both riders acknowledged Bezzecchi and Aprilia looked quick in Thailand, and the combined takeaway was that Ducati must refine setup and aerodynamic strategy for mixed and changing conditions to recover in qualifying and realize the bike’s potential on race day.

Marco Bezzecchi set the early benchmark in Friday’s opening Free Practice (FP1) at the Thai Grand Prix at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, topping the MotoGP timesheets with a 1:29.346 on a medium rear tire and holding the fastest lap for the entire 45-minute session. His FP1 time was slower than the 1:28.668 he set on a soft tire during last weekend’s test.

Fabio Di Giannantonio was the quickest Ducati in second with a 1:29.456, while Jorge Martin recovered from a crash at the final corner to record third with a 1:29.551; Martin reportedly kept his engine running by grabbing the clutch to avoid a service-road restart penalty. The timesheet was tight, with less than a second covering the top 13 and all five manufacturers represented inside that group. Pedro Acosta was the top KTM in fifth, reigning champion Marc Marquez was sixth as he continued to recover from last weekend’s illness, and Francesco Bagnaia was seventh, just 0.019 seconds adrift of Marquez; Franco Morbidelli, Alex Marquez and Luca Marini completed the top 10.

FP1 action in the support classes set early benchmarks as well: in Moto2, David Alonso topped the session with a 1:35.148 on his Pirelli-shod CFMOTO Inde Aspar Kalex, edging Izan Guevara by 0.012 seconds, with Filip Salac third and Collin Veijer, Manuel Gonzalez and Dani Holgado fourth to sixth and Tony Arbolino tenth. In Moto3, Adrian Fernandez led FP1 with a 1:41.302 for Leopard Racing, ahead of Joel Kelso and David Almansa, establishing the early order ahead of later practice that will help decide direct Q2 access.

Yamaha has been among the manufacturers most actively linked with Luca Marini for 2027, and AS reported Yamaha made a ‘great offer,’ though no move has been confirmed. Marini — contracted to Honda for this season after signing an extension in 2025 — told reporters he was unaware of any concrete offer, dismissed the transfer talk as ‘background noise’ and said, “I don’t know, but it’s true that I’m the best at developing.”

The Marini speculation sits inside a wider reshuffle of the 2027 MotoGP market that has gained momentum ahead of the Thailand round. Reports name a string of potential moves: Marc Márquez and Pedro Acosta to Ducati; Francesco Bagnaia to Aprilia alongside Marco Bezzecchi; Jorge Martín linked with Yamaha; and Fabio Quartararo widely expected to move to Honda. Yamaha itself suffered a difficult pre-season with its new V4 package. Reports that Honda is interested in signing Quartararo for 2027 have increased pressure on the seats currently occupied by Marini and Joan Mir, and some inside Honda are reported to expect Marini to leave. Honda’s options are constrained by LCR riders Johann Zarco and Diogo Moreira being contracted through 2027 (Moreira on a three-year Honda deal).

Marini’s profile helps explain the interest. He moved from VR46 Ducati to Honda in 2024 and has been credited with playing a role in Honda’s competitive rebound. He praised meaningful progress after a new group of engineers arrived in 2025, citing engine improvements, fewer vibration issues and a more organized working approach, and said Buriram testing produced better results than Sepang. Marini warned Honda still needs work on one-lap speed and rear grip. He found the new soft rear tire difficult in practice, with a medium rear proving more competitive in simulations. He set realistic targets for the season: regular Top-7 starts, pushing into the Top-5 and contesting for podiums. His 2025 campaign included a P7 at Valencia that helped push Honda into C-rank concessions, a 13th-place finish in the 2025 standings overall, and a Suzuka training crash that sidelined him for three races.

The 2026 MotoGP season is set to begin this weekend with the Thailand Grand Prix at Buriram International Circuit, running Friday–Sunday, Feb. 27–March 1. Organizers have published a local “your time” session timetable to help fans tune in from their time zones, and preview and guide pieces consolidate the season-opening schedule along with broadcast/how-to-watch details, viewing channels, and logistical information as a single reference for attendees and remote viewers.

The published three-day timetable lays out practice, qualifying, the Tissot Sprint, and the full Grand Prix. Friday includes Free Practice No. 1 at 03:45 local time and an additional practice at 08:00. Saturday lists Free Practice No. 2 at 03:10, Qualifying 1 at 03:50, Qualifying 2 at 04:15, and the Tissot Sprint at 08:00. Sunday shows a Warm Up at 03:40 and the main Grand Prix. The organizers’ timetable lists the main race at 08:00 local time, while another report specifies the 26-lap MotoGP main race at 3:00 p.m. local time on March 1.

Buriram will host the season opener for the second consecutive year, and previews revisit memorable moments from past Thai Grands Prix while framing the round as both the season kickoff and an early focal point. The weekend also serves as an early fitness test for riders returning from recent injuries. The list includes Marc Márquez, who won 11 races from 18 grands prix in 2025 but missed the final four rounds after shoulder surgery following an injury in Indonesia. Marquez said after a testing crash in Buriram that he “hasn’t recovered” as expected.

The championship grid is largely unchanged for 2026, though Toprak Razgatlıoğlu joins Prima Pramac and Diogo Moreira replaces Somkiat Chantra at LCR Honda, as organizers and fans count down to lights out.