Marc Marquez outduels brother Alex for 'dream' Thai win

BURIRAM, Thailand — Six-time world champion Marc Marquez used all his experience to fight back from a mid-race wobble to outduel his brother Alex Marquez for a "dream" win in Sunday's season-opening Thailand MotoGP.

It completed a dominant debut for his new factory Ducati team, with pole-sitter Marquez having romped to victory in Saturday's sprint at the Buriram circuit for a maximum 37 championship points.

The Spanish great took his 63rd MotoGP victory by 1.732 sec from younger sibling Alex, who is still seeking a first chequered flag, with Italian two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia third.

Marc Marquez had opened a 1.5-second gap at the front in searing heat, when on lap seven he suddenly slowed on turn three with a tire pressure problem to relinquish the lead to his brother.

Marc tucked into second spot, lurking ominously on Alex's back wheel for another 15 laps as he managed his tires expertly and kept the pressure issue under control.

His strategy paid off as he made a decisive move with less than three laps of the 26 to dive under Alex on turn 12 before stretching away to complete a second family one-two, after Saturday's sprint.

'I cannot ask for more'

"Yesterday I was happy, today I am super happy," said Marc Marquez. "I mean it's a dream. I cannot ask for more.

"We started this new journey in the perfect way, with pole position and a double victory, sprint and main race. I want to say thanks to the team.

"And to share this weekend with my brother is something unreal for our family.

"There are no words to describe how you feel when you are on the podium with your brother."

Another Italian, Franco Morbidelli, was fourth on a VR46 Ducati and Japanese rookie Ai Ogura fifth on his MotoGP debut for Trackhouse Aprilia.

"For one moment I thought I might hold on to win," said Alex Marquez.

"Leading was not easy. I just tried to ride, not to override and not make mistakes.

"But he was able to not use a lot of rear tire and I was using up everything."

Marc Marquez enjoyed a strong preseason with the factory Ducati, having joined from Honda, and is strongly fancied to win a first world crown since 2019.

"The last time I felt like this on a bike was at Jerez in 2020," he warned.

Marquez and two-time world champion Bagnaia have been hailed as a factory Ducati dream team but some observers have cautioned that the high-octane mix of two fast high-profile racers could prove too combustible.

"I gave my all," said Bagnaia. "But Marc, he was playing with us all day. So maximum ambition was to finish in P2 but we finished in P3.

"Honestly I tried, but I was like I was in the cinema watching," he added of the battling brothers in front of him.

"I am not here to finish third. It was the maximum I could but I will never settle for third place. Next time I will try to be second and then first.

"But I need to start working on my setup, on my bike, and close the gap to them."

Ogura, who came fourth in Saturday's sprint, put on a stunning performance on his main race debut to finish fifth for Trackhouse Aprilia, beating the factory Aprilia of Marco Bezzecchi, who was sixth.

Somkiat Chantra finished 18th as he made history by becoming the first Thai rider to take part in a MotoGP race.

The start of the new MotoGP season was overshadowed by the absence of world champion Jorge Martin.

The Spaniard suffered broken bones in his right hand and left foot in a horror crash during pre-season testing in Malaysia and more fractures in training a week ago, needing further surgery.

Aprilia said Martin would definitely miss the next race, in Argentina in mid-March, with no time frame put on his return to the grid.

AFP