Marc Márquez continued his perfect start with factory Ducati as the six-time MotoGP champion completed a weekend double at the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix on Sunday, finishing ahead of his younger brother, Alex Márquez.
Marc Márquez, who won the sprint race on Saturday, got off to an electric start from pole position in the hot and humid conditions at the Buriram International Circuit. However, Alex, who had qualified second on the grid, managed to break free and take the lead on the seventh lap of the 26-lap race.
With three laps to go, Marc reclaimed the lead to win the opening race of the MotoGP season for the first time since 2014. Francesco Bagnaia, a two-time MotoGP champion and Marc Márquez’s new teammate, finished third to complete an all-Ducati podium.
“Yesterday, I was happy. Today, I’m super happy,” Márquez said. “I mean, this is a dream! It’s a dream to start my new journey with Ducati like this in Thailand, where I won my last four championships. To be here with my brother — incredible.” Márquez had looked dominant all weekend, and it seemed only a matter of time before he overtook Alex, who is four years his junior. Marc finished 1.732 seconds ahead of Alex. The 32-year-old Spaniard now leads the MotoGP world championship standings with 37 points, eight more than second-placed Alex and 14 ahead of Italian Bagnaia. Márquez also achieved his 112th MotoGP podium, equaling compatriot Dani Pedrosa.
Photograph: Rungroj Yongrit/EPA
Marc Márquez (right) of Ducati Lenovo ahead of his brother, Alex Márquez of Gresini Racing during the Thailand Grand Prix.
Alex Márquez reflected on his brother’s performance, saying: “I thought he was trying not to use a lot of rear tire. I was using everything, all my energy, because when you don’t have it, you need to push a bit more, and you can’t really save the tire. But in the end, second was our maximum target today. Keeping Pecco [Bagnaia] behind wasn’t easy—he’s a world champion and has more experience.”
Bagnaia, who lost last year’s championship to the now-injured Jorge Martín by 10 points, battled with Alex for second place. “I gave my all, but I couldn’t get close enough to Alex to try and attack. Marc was playing with us the whole way. My maximum ambition was to finish in P2, but we ended up in P3,” Bagnaia said. “I tried my best, but I was slower and losing time in certain parts of the track.”
Franco Morbidelli gained two places to finish fourth, while Trackhouse’s Japanese rookie Ai Ogura continued his remarkable start to MotoGP by finishing fifth.