Warning Shots Fired as Marc Marquez Dominates on Factory Ducati Debut

If you watched any part of the Thailand MotoGP, then you probably came away with the same take as me, which is that Marc Marquez is absolutely back to his best as he dominated qualifying and the sprint race in his new factory Ducati colours.

Despite a problem in the early stages of the Grand Prix which led to the eight-time world champion slowly exiting turn three before being overtaken by his brother Alex Marquez, he quickly regrouped and sat on the Gresini rider’s rear tyre with total ease.

Then, with three laps to go Marquez made his move into the final corner which was enough to get the job done as he immediately dropped his brother and Francesco Bagnaia, who finished third for the second time after achieving the same result in the sprint.

While it was pole position, sprint win and Grand Prix victory, the way in which Marquez dominated and looked in total control was even more impressive.

Bagnaia has rarely been beaten over the last few years in the factory team, but it already looks like he will need his best season to date if he wants to challenge the ex-Honda star. The Italian has never had a team-mate as strong as Marquez and that was evident as soon as the pair went out on track together.

Buriram has always been a good circuit for Marquez, so Bagnaia will have plenty of chances to get one back against his new team-mate, but it must be said, the 2025 season opener was not a good look for any of his rivals as Marquez was clearly the fastest rider while also being under complete control and full of confidence.

Speaking after his triumphant debut in the factory Lenovo Ducati team, Marc Marquez, who admitted he struggled to breathe at stages in the main race, said: “It was truly the perfect weekend. Results aside, the important thing is the incredible feeling I have with the bike and the team. The strategy for the race was to push hard in the early stages to create a gap and then try to manage it.

“As the laps went by, however, I noticed I was at the limit with regards to the front-end tyre pressure and I had no choice but to give up one position. It was really hard to be in Alex’s slipstream with this heat as I struggled breathing properly. I waited for the right moment to retake the lead and create the right margin, and things went as I had hoped. I’m happy.”

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