The 2026 MotoGP season kicks off with Aprilia at the first race of the 2026 MotoGP season, following the Thailand Grand Prix at Buriram on Saturday.
But qualifying in Buriram was not a one-sided happy matter for the factory Ducati Garage, as a two-time MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia It started its 2026 campaign in Q1. Late flying laps failed to help the Italian’s progress as he struggled to turn GP26.
Bagnaia struggled more than any Ducati ace in Buriram with Michelin’s season-opening tyre. GP of Thailand. On the contrary Aprilia RS-GP is suitable for the tires, which Bezechichi He scored the best result and dominated the weekend so far.
Marco Bezecchi scores his first pole position of 2026 at the Thai Grand Prix!
Will he turn the pole into a win or will someone else win at Bury?
Marco Bezzecchi secures pole position for 2026 Thai Grand Prix at Buriram
Aprilia rider Bezecchi set a new all-time lap record in Buriram This Friday, and he immediately led from the start in Saturday’s Q2. The Italian started the session with a 1:28.914.
Read more: Everything you need to know about the 2026 MotoGP season, from the calendar to the drivers

Bezecchi quickly lowered the benchmark to 1:28.652, the trackhouse pilot said. Raul Fernandez In the early stages, the Aprilia RS-GP used passing through to Q1 to make it one-two-three. KTM pilot Pedro Acosta was the best non-Aprilia rider after the first race.
At the start of the final race, Fernandez was ahead of Martin, but the Spaniard was soon overtaken by the MotoGP champion. Mark Marquez. The Ducati rider didn’t find the speed that came easily in the first run but dug deep to get within 0.035s of Bezeci’s lap.
Bezecchi didn’t intend to rest on his laurels and pushed the limit at the last minute and fell. He crashed in the final turn after trying to force a tight angle, but the front tire refused to play ball in the test.
Raul Fernandez sets the pace in Buriram Q1 as Francesco Bagnaia bows out
Francesco Bagnaia bows out in Q1 at the 2026 Thai Grand Prix!
Is Peco Bagnaia facing another season of woes at Ducati?
Ducati star Bagnaia had to go through Buriram Q1 After setting up the field in mixed conditions during this Friday’s scheduled practice session, he went the wrong way. The Italian struggled in practice braking and cornering, emphasized by the wind.
Bagnaia wasted no time with a quick lap from the get-go before showing his way in Q1. But the Italian’s efforts in GP26 were not enough to prevent Trackhouse racer Fernandez and VR46’s Franco Morbidelli from displacing the two-time champion on the schedule.
Fernández set a huge mark with nine minutes remaining in Q1 when he set a 1:28.784 on his satellite Aprilia RS-GP. The Spaniard’s effort opened up a 0.306s margin at the top of the board for Morbidelli and a 0.564s advantage over Bagnaia, before the last-minute attacks.
Bagnaya was among the first riders to return to the circuit, with a possible Q1 exit on the cards for the first round of the 2026 campaign. But while he gained time on Fernandez’s lap in the first sector, Bagnaia struggled to maintain his pace for the remainder of the lap.
As he pushed the Ducati harder and harder to turn around the track, mistakes began to slip towards Bagnayam. Bagnaia struggled to turn on the GP26 as he took the high lean angle and eventually finished Q1 with the third best time.
Full qualifying results for the 2026 MotoGP Thailand Grand Prix
| POS | RIDER | group | GAP |
| 1 | Marco Bezecchi | Aprilia | 1:28.652 |
| 2 | Mark Marquez | Ducati | +0.035 s |
| 3 | Raul Fernandez | Tracking house | +0.224 s |
| 4 | Fabio D’Giantantonio | VR46 | +0.266 s |
| 5 | George Martin | Aprilia | +0.349s |
| 6 | Pedro Acosta | KTM | +0.409s |
| 7 | Alex Marquez | Gresini | +0.425 s |
| 8 | No. Ogura | Tracking house | +0.559s |
| 9 | Franco Morbidelli | VR46 | +0.669s |
| 10 | Joan Mir | Honda | +0.733 s |
| 11 | Brad Binder | KTM | +0.750 s |
| 12 | Johann Zarko | LCR | +0.880s |
| 13 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 1:29.348 |
| 14 | Luca Marini | Honda | 1:29.446 |
| 15 | Diogo Moreira | LCR | 1:29.489 |
| 16 | Fabio Quatararo | Yamaha | 1:29.683 |
| 17 | Maverick Vinales | Tech3 | 1:29:774 |
| 18 | Jack Miller | Pramak | 1:29:834 |
| 19 | Alex Rin | Yamaha | 1:30.067 |
| 20 | Ine Bastianini | Tech3 | 1:30.078 |
| 21 | Toprak Razgatlioglu | Pramak | 1:30.165 |
| 22 | Michel Pirro | Gresini | 1:31.361 |
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