Thailand GP Practice Results

The first day of practice in Thailand took place on Friday at the Chang International Circuit, just days after the action concluded in Australia. Marc Márquez was the fastest man on Friday, with Jorge Martín and Enea Bastianini completing the Top 3.

In contrast to last week’s situation at Phillip Island, Friday started with dry conditions and the riders were able to work from the get-go.

Dominant from the first moment of Practice, Marc Márquez quickly established himself as one of the favourites for the win this weekend in Thailand. Although Marco Bezzecchi led the morning FP1 session, the Italian dropped off in Practice and struggled to make it directly into Q2. The two title contenders held firm in both sessions: Jorge Martín was second in both sessions and ‘Pecco’ Bagnaia third and fourth.

The rest of the riders to make it directly into Q2 were Maverick Viñales, Franco Morbidelli, Pedro Acosta, Álex Márquez, Marco Bezzecchi, Johann Zarco and Brad Binder.

Marini and Mir close to Q2

Repsol Honda Team riders Luca Marini and Joan Mir closed Practice in Buriram in 17th and 19th respectively. However, both finished just outside the Q2 spots.

Marini once again showed progress in the two Friday sessions in Thailand. In the morning, the Italian was 15th, with a best time of 1:31.186, just under seven tenths off pacesetter Bezzecchi. In Practice, he was able to lower his morning time by just over a second, clocking a 1:30.138. He was four tenths outside the Q2 positions, and will enter into Q1 on Saturday.

Mir was close to his teammate in both sessions, but was also unable to make the cut for Q2. In the morning he set a best time of 1:31.420, for 18th, and in the afternoon he managed to lower his time by more than 1.2 seconds, with a 1:30.217. He was 19th overall.

2024 Thailand GP Practice Results

Statements

Joan Mir

«Tonight we need to work well to match the results of Taka and Zarco, because they show that there is more to unlock. It was a difficult day for me as we still have some vibrations in the bike which means I am not able to show my full potential. We need to work to understand what the other riders are doing and why I am suffering more than the others. When you give your 100% you don’t have regret, and I am always giving my 100%.»

Luca Marini

«It’s always incredible how close MotoGP is, putting in a good lap is really important and even the smallest difference can change your position a lot. I wasn’t able to put in this really good lap today, so we have some margin to improve tomorrow still. We spent a decent amount of time trying different things with the bike, with one eye on next year. There are some points to still understand, but we found some positives – especially in braking with these changes. I also need to work on my riding, to keep improving that as the bike evolves. I am looking forward to delivering more tomorrow.»