The Italian Francesco ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia (Ducati Desmosedici GP24) achieved pole position for the MotoGP Thai Grand Prix to be held at the Buriram circuit and in which he established a new absolute record.
Bagnaia set a best time of 1:28.700 with which he broke the record set yesterday by the Spanish Marc Márquez (Ducati Desmosedici GP23) by lapping at 1:29.165 to achieve pole number twenty-two of his MotoGP career.
With a full Marc Márquez who dominated the free practice, the first classification began, from which the two pilots who would make it to the second classification had to come out and in which there were pilots of the level of the Frenchman Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha YZR M 1) , the South African Brad Binder (KTM RC 16), his teammate the Australian Jack Miller (KTM RC 16) or the Spaniards Alex Rins (Yamaha YZR M 1), Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia RS-GP) and Raúl Fernández (Aprilia RS -GP).
The first valid reference was set, precisely, by Brad Binder when he ran in 1:29.760, six tenths of a second from the absolute record for the category that Marc Márquez established yesterday with 1:29.165.
Francesco Bagnaia (center), Enea Bastianini (left), in second position, and the Spanish rider Jorge Martin, in third position, after the MotoGP qualifying session.
After Binder, who improved his record, the only Ducati that did not achieve a direct pass to the second classification was the Italian Fabio di Giannantonio, who lapped in 1:29.651 in what will be his last grand prix of the season, because after the race from Thailand to return to Italy to undergo surgery to solve his physical problems in his left shoulder and thus begin recovery as soon as possible to prepare for the 2025 season.
With Di Giannantonio and by just 8 thousandths of a second difference, the 2021 champion, Fabio Quartararo, was guaranteed a move to the second classification, when all the drivers were preparing their second ‘time attack’, in which Brad Binder was once again the reference by stopping the clock at 1:29.535 and the Frenchman made a spectacular save in turn five when he was literally on the ground.
Despite the scare, Fabio Quartararo managed to set a fast lap that placed him second, although behind him, Fabio di Giannantonio regained the first position by lapping in 1:29.429, which left the Frenchman out of Q2, who did not throw the towel and managed to improve his best time to run at 1:29.406, which gave him the pass alongside the Italian, who finished 23 thousandths of a second behind the 2021 champion.
Jorge Martin of Prima Pramac Racing, Enea Bastianini of the Ducati Lenovo Team and Marc Márquez of Gresini Racing MotoGP in action during qualifying.
Aleix Espargaró will start from fourteenth position, with Augusto Fernández (Gas Gas RC 16) sixteenth, ahead of Alex Rins (Yamaha YZR M 1), with Joan Mir (Honda RC 213 V) nineteenth and Raúl Fernández (Aprilia RS-GP) , twentieth.
Q2 didn’t start too well for Marc Márquez, who had a good scare in turn three, although he controlled it without any major problems while ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia, in his first fast lap, already stopped the clock at 1:29.331.
The double MotoGP world champion chained a second fast lap with a new circuit record by stopping the clock at 1:29.076, just 54 thousandths of a second faster than his rival Jorge Martín, which allowed us to predict that in the second time attack’ would be lowered at minute and 28 seconds to complete a lap of the Thai track.
Behind the leading duo were the Italian Marco Bezzecchi and the Spanish Marc Márquez, but in their case already two and three tenths of a second away, respectively.
Bagnaia dominated the classification
And the forecasts did not fail, because while Marc Márquez crashed in turn three when trying to follow Jorge Martín, the Italian ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia dropped to second 28 by lapping at 1:28.700, and Martín also finished on the ground. on that lap, in turn nine, although without any consequences for his physical integrity.
Bagnaia clearly dominated the classification, followed by his teammate Enea Bastianini just over two tenths of a second, with Jorge Martín in third position, first line of the starting formation, with Marco Bezzecchi, Marc Márquez and Fabio Quartararo in the second.
The third line went to Pedro Acosta, Fabio di Giannantonio and Alex Márquez (Ducati Desmosedici GP23), with Maverick Viñales (Aprilia RS-GP), Franco Morbidelli (Ducati Desmosedici GP24), who finished on the ground, as well as the Frenchman Johann Zarco (Honda RC 213 V), on the fourth line.
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