Francesco Bagnaia is back to winning ways, having dominated the race at the Thai GP this Sunday. The event took place under very adverse and harsh conditions due to the rain that arrived in Buriram.
With light rain marking the start, Jorge Martín (Prima Pramac/Ducati) took the lead, while Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) surprised everyone by briefly reaching second place.
In the first lap, there was a direct duel between Martín and Bagnaia (Ducati), in which the Spaniard came out on top. Marc Márquez (Gresini/Ducati) placed himself in third.
Fastest lap from @88jorgemartin!
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 27, 2024
Pressure? What pressure! 🔥#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/4zws9IYOUF
After a good start where he was battling for the podium, Quartararo fell on the fourth lap after a touch with Franco Morbidelli (Prima Pramac/Ducati). The Italian was penalized with a Long Lap. As a result, Red Bull KTM had both of their riders in the top five, with Brad Binder in fourth and Jack Miller in fifth.
In the fifth lap, Martín lost positions to Bagnaia and Marc Márquez after making a mistake and going wide in turn three. #89 wasn’t far behind the top two. On the ninth lap, Enea Bastianini (Ducati) crashed while chasing the top five.
Shortly after, Márquez launched a strong attack on Bagnaia, who managed to maintain the lead. Martín was right behind and was the fastest on the track, but he made another mistake that left him a bit further from the top two.
The battle for victory heated up with 14 laps to go, with another attack from Márquez, which Bagnaia defended against. A little further back, Martín didn’t seem to have the pace to keep up with the rivals without taking too many risks. Then, with 13 laps to go, #93 crashed. Although he managed to get up and continue, he fell out of contention for the top spots.
😱 @MARCMARQUEZ93 COULDN'T SAVE IT!
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 27, 2024
Just as he was pressuring for the win, it oomes crashing down! 💥#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/4anUYrvFFC
This allowed Bagnaia to breathe in the lead, with a gap of over two seconds to Martín. Miller moved up to third place, with Binder and Pedro Acosta (Red Bull GasGas Tech3/KTM) right behind.
In the final laps, Acosta joined the fight for the podium. He overtook Binder and then didn’t rest until he did the same to Miller. However, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46/Ducati) was also competing for that third place.
How close do you like it! 🤯
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 27, 2024
Awesome from both of them! 🔥#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/Pyjiu1moEF
With no worthy rivals, Bagnaia secured an important victory, beating Martín by 2,905s. Acosta took the lowest step on the podium ahead of Di Giannantonio, with Miller finishing fifth. Notably, Johann Zarco (LCR Honda) finished eighth, marking the best result for an RC213V this year. Marc Márquez recovered to 11th place after his crash.
