Marc Marquez ended Friday at Buriram by gaining access into Q2 with the second fastest time of the day, a fundamental but not such an obvious goal given the physical aftermath that the Spaniard still has to deal with in this first weekend of the championship. Marc opted for the 2024 aerodynamics, which he judged to be "less physical" due to his shoulder injury that still prevents him from making the most of the braking point, but the Spaniard is not backing away from things and is not looking for excuses, "it's a matter of riding style, the bike has nothing to do with it."
Four tenths of a second behind, on the other side of the fence, is Marco Bezzecchi's Aprilia, fast in testing and reconfirmed in the first taste of the race weekend, and he seems to have officially thrown down the gauntlet that Marc has willingly accepted, "Right now, he's the favorite, because at the start of the season there are no champions and everyone starts from scratch." Tomorrow's qualifying and sprint will tell us who will take the first match point, giving us a first glimpse of the championship that is about to begin. All that remains is to wait for the green light on the 2026 season.
"I struggled in FP1 today, less so in FP2," said Marc. "I have to try to understand why. Last year, the start of the season was easier, but the first day in Malaysia cost me, as did the first day in Thailand, as did this FP1. The position on the bike didn't come naturally to me, so I couldn't work well, but then I improved by focusing on my riding style, which I think still has room for improvement. As I said, I can't ride like last year, but I'll keep pushing to improve both this weekend and in the first races. Today we took a bit too much of a risk, we went with the medium rear because it was the last chance to try it. Tomorrow there will be the sprint and then the race, so we wanted to try it, but it was a risk because with the rain we would have had to face Q1."
How did it feel on the track?
"I felt better with the used tyres than with the new ones. The bike is less physical, which I prefer, but in the time attack we have to be precise because qualifying is important."
The championship has officially started, and Bezzecchi seems to be your rival.
"I've never said otherwise. He was the fastest here in testing, both in terms of lap time and pace, and that was also the case today. If nothing unusual happens, he's the clear favorite for the podium and the race, but you don't lose or win the podium in the first race, so you just have to keep working to be as close as possible to the fastest opponents."
Bezzecchi says you're the favorite. Is that all strategy?
"He's doing the right thing, keeping a low profile to keep the pressure off him. I'm the first to be realistic, when the first race starts there is no champion, you defend your title, but everyone starts from scratch. There will come a time during the season when he will have to take responsibility, but at the moment he is the fastest rival here in Thailand. We will try to get closer to him, but every weekend we have to see how the balance of power will be."
Where do you think he makes the difference?
"We need to understand why Bezzecchi was already very fast in Indonesia, but there they used a different fairing and he was still very fast and consistent. Here, however, the riding style of the track is different, more stop & go, while in Mandalika it is more fluid. At the moment, I can't keep up with him, but tomorrow we'll see if I can do it in the sprint. At the moment, he is the favorite."
Will it be a weekend of management or one for attacking?
"You have to attack, always."
Compared to the GP25, is there much difference at the front?
"Minimal. If we want to ride exactly the same bike as last year, we can. We've introduced a few small changes, so the bike is quite similar, and we'll introduce others step by step. At the moment, I don't feel good going into corners, but that has more to do with my riding style than with the bike. "
How does your shoulder limit your riding style?
"In my braking position. I injured the front of my shoulder, and the operation was here in the pectoral and deltoid muscles, the muscles at the front, and this is where I push and need more. If you don't brake in the right position, you don't get into the right position halfway through the corner."
Are you also managing your nutrition, eating something simpler to avoid problems again?
"Yes, but I'm still taking medication even though I feel more energetic now because I had no energy during the tests. Now I'm fine."