Francesco Bagnaia showcased his dominance at the Thai MotoGP, seizing pole position with a stellar performance that saw him clock a new lap record of 1:28.700. This achievement marks the first time since the Misano race over a month ago that Bagnaia will start both the Sprint and Grand Prix events from the front of the grid. Representing the factory Ducati team, Bagnaia led a strong showing alongside teammate Enea Bastianini, who placed second, while Pramac’s Jorge Martin completed the top three.
The final moments of the qualifying session proved chaotic, especially for Martin, who crashed at Turn 5 and narrowly managed to retain his front-row starting spot. His crash, however, underscored the intensity of the session, as he and his championship rival Bagnaia remain locked in a tight battle. As the minutes dwindled, both Gresini’s Marc Marquez and Pramac’s Franco Morbidelli also found themselves down due to crashes, which left them unable to complete additional laps, impacting their final placements.
The competition remained fierce further down the grid. Marco Bezzecchi secured fourth for the VR46 team, while Marquez held on to fifth place despite his crash. Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo impressed by overcoming a challenging qualifying session to clinch sixth, followed by rookie Pedro Acosta in seventh, and VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio in eighth. Despite a tough weekend for the Aprilia team, Maverick Vinales managed a top-ten finish in tenth place, keeping the team’s hopes alive.
Outside the top ten, LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco completed the session in 12th following a late crash. Brad Binder narrowly missed out on advancing to the second qualifying phase, putting him in 13th on the grid. Despite challenging practice sessions, Aleix Espargaro managed a notable result in 14th, while Jack Miller and Augusto Fernandez rounded out the top fifteen.
As the grid fills out, Yamaha’s Alex Rins will start from 17th, while the final slots belong to Raul Fernandez, Luca Marini, and Lorenzo Savadori, with Savadori continuing to step in for the injured Miguel Oliveira. The stage is now set for an exciting race as Bagnaia, Martin, and Bastianini lead the charge, all vying for critical points in the championship standings.