The ThaiGP Sprint Race Had It All – The Crash, The Penalty, And The Battle For P1. The Season-Opening Sprint Race In Buriram Did Not Disappoint.
It was an exciting opening battle during the ThaiGP Sprint Race between the Aprilia and Ducati riders. The race started with the current world champion taking the lead right at the beginning of the race from Bezzecchi. The Aprilia rider then took back the lead. The two riders kept swapping positions for two laps until the Aprilia rider crashed out at Turn 8. This was Bezzecchi’s third crash of the day after he crashed in Free Practice 2 and Qualifying earlier in the day.
Battle for the win
While the two title contenders for this year’s championship were battling it out in the front, Pedro Acosta was making moves after starting from P6. The KTM rider had a great start and by the end of the first lap was P3. After Bezzecchi crashed, Acosta temporarily took the lead, which Marc Márquez quickly regained. However, Pedro kept the pressure on Marc throughout the race, making moves at the final corner of each lap.
After swapping positions back and forth for the majority of the race, eventually the KTM rider was able to get through. With two laps to go at turn 6, Acosta was able to pass as Márquez ran wide. The #93 rider then tried to reclaim the position at the final corner, which resulted in light contact and an investigation by the stewards and a penalty. This meant the current champion had to give back the position on the final lap. For Acosta, this secured his maiden MotoGP win and KTM’s first win since 2023.
Elsewhere on the grid
While the battle for the win was happening at the front sprint race saw action elsewhere on the grid as well. Early on in the race, there was contact between Álex Márquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio. The Spaniard pushed the Italian wide at Turn 3 during the first lap.
Final standings
With Pedro Acosta and Marc Márquez as the top two riders, the remainder of the top 5 was made up of three Aprilia riders. The final standings saw Raul Fernandez as third, his teammate Ai Ogura fourth, and Jorge Martin as fifth. Brand Binder as sixth, followed by Joan Mir, Fabio Di Giannantonio, and Pecco Bagnaia. The top 10 was rounded up by Luca Marini.
Feature photo courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool