Marco Bezzecchi powered through to claim victory as the Marquez brothers suffered bad luck at the opening MotoGP 2026 race at Chang International Circuit.
On 1 March 2026, the MotoGP 2026 World Championship race, known as the PT Grand Prix of Thailand 2026, was held at Chang International Circuit in Buriram. Italian rider Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia Racing started strong and led from start to finish, winning after completing 26 laps.
Pedro Acosta, the young Spanish rider from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, finished second, trailing the winner by 5.543 seconds. Raul Fernandez from Team Trackhouse secured third place, 9.259 seconds behind. Marc Marquez, the eight-time world champion from Ducati, who was aiming for a podium, had to retire in fourth place due to a tire failure. Similarly, his brother Alex Marquez from Gresini Racing crashed on lap 22.
The second race of the series, the Grand Prix of Brazil, is scheduled to take place at Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna in Goiânia, Brazil, from 20 to 22 March 2026.