Friday, October 25, 2024, 2:30 p.m.
| Updated 2:39 p.m.
Marc Márquez showed at the start of the <a href="https://www.archysport.com/2022/09/in-motogp-the-outcome-of-the-duel-between-francesco-bagnaia-and-fabio-quartararo-is-more-uncertain-than-ever/" title="In MotoGP, the outcome of the duel between Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo is more uncertain than ever”>Thai Grand Prix that he is still in a state of grace. The man from Ilerda shattered the circuit record in the final moments of training to overtake Jorge Martín, who until then was leading the session. Although he is not in the battle for the title, Márquez will be judge and party in the last three rounds of the season, as was demonstrated this Friday at the Buriram circuit.
In the last minutes of the afternoon practice, with all the drivers running on soft tires and looking for the fastest lap to ensure their passage to Q2 on Saturday, Márquez uncovered the lid with a stratospheric lap in the final part. After losing time in the first two stages, he managed to recover everything in sectors 3 and 4, to be at the top of the time table, achieving the fastest lap ever taken on the Thai track.
“It’s a bit of the concept of the bike we have this year, because all of the 2023 Ducati models lose a little on the long straights and then there are points to recover during braking,” explained the Cervera rider. And, with his bike from last year, Márquez beat the Ducati 2024s that were behind: Jorge Martín second, Enea Bastianini third, Pecco Bagnaia fourth and Franco Morbidelli sixth.
Aside from Márquez’s magic, the first day made clear the equality that exists at the top of MotoGP, with Martín and Bagnaia lapping at less than a tenth. The Madrid native was second in the two training sessions of the day and in his wake was always the Italian, third and fourth in the two sessions, who sent a warning, since he usually takes Fridays easy and goes from less to more during the weekend. week. “Without doing a great fast lap and without being completely precise, I was fast,” Bagnaia said afterwards, once again emphasizing that he feels like a favorite in Thailand, where he hopes to cut points from the leader.
For now, the 20-point cushion that Martín has allows the Spaniard to manage much better a weekend where it is clear that the first big objective will arrive on Saturday with Q2. «It is very important to qualify on the front row, because on this circuit we suffer a lot with the temperature if you are behind someone. I feel very fast, but I also see Pecco and Marc ahead. We’ll see, but the objective is to try to get some more points,” the current championship leader also claimed.
The other MotoGP duel is fought for third position in the championship between Márquez and Bastianini, with 14 points ahead of the Spaniard, although the Italian has not said his last word, as demonstrated by the third position achieved at the beginning of this GP. Thailand.
Painful Friday by Espargaró
Once again highlight the level of Maverick Viñales, fifth among the Ducati, confirming once again as the best of the rest. And exceptional Pedro Acosta, seventh, who before going out on the track had to undergo a medical check-up for an injury to his left shoulder and which did not cause him to lose one bit of speed. The ‘top 10’ that gave direct access to Q2 on Saturday was completed by Álex Márquez, Marco Bezzecchi and Johann Zarco, who once again places a Honda at the top of the classification, surpassing his compatriot Fabio Quartararo, 12th with the Yamaha .
The one who suffered on the opening day was Aleix Espargaró, who had a hard fall in free practice in the morning. The Catalan was taken to the Buriram hospital to undergo several tests that did not reveal any serious injuries, but he missed a good part of the afternoon session and his continuity in the grand prix remains to be seen.
In the small categories, Spanish dominance in Moto2, with Arón Canet setting the best time, ahead of Arbolino and Ramírez; and with the leader Ogura in sixth position. A combination of results that would not be enough for the Japanese to become champion on Sunday, while in Moto3 David Alonso continues to do his thing, leading another Friday despite two falls without consequences.
