Aprilia’s strong pre-season form translated directly into the first track action of the year, as Marco Bezzecchi set the pace in Free Practice 1 with a 1m29.346s.
Bezzecchi went fastest from the opening laps and remained the reference throughout the first 45 minutes of 2026 running, ultimately heading a session that underlined Aprilia’s early title credentials.
The Italian finished 0.110s clear of Fabio Di Giannantonio, who prevented a full Aprilia top-three lockout at the front.
Behind them, Jorge Martin managed to secure third despite suffering the first crash of the 2026 season – a front-end washout at Turn 12 early in the session.
The incident proved low-impact as he rejoined quickly on his second bike and returned to the sharp end.
The first #MotoGP crash of 2026 💥
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) February 27, 2026
The front end washed out for @88jorgemartin 👀#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/xcWvYn7HpG
Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura completed a strong Aprilia-powered showing in fourth after steadily improving lap after lap in the final fifteen minutes.
Pedro Acosta led the charge for KTM in fifth, reinforcing the expectation that the 2026 fight may centre on Aprilia vs Ducati vs Acosta.
The Ducati Lenovo pairing followed, with Marc Marquez sixth after focusing the whole session on longer runs, racking up 21 laps on just one set of tyres.
The reigning world champion circled on heavily worn tyres in the high 1m30s, indicating solid early-race pace. Teammate Francesco Bagnaia finished seventh, ahead of Franco Morbidelli, Alex Marquez, and Luca Marini.
Just outside the top group, Joan Mir endured a slightly frustrating final attempt, running wide at the last corner before letting out a bit of frustration with his RC213V.
Mirroring the struggles of the Spaniard, Fabio Quartararo’s first session of the year proved to be just as – if not more – frustrating for the Yamaha star.
An incredible amount of smoke yet AGAIN for Fabio Quartararo 💨💨#ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/kHL6NSG8Ee
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) February 27, 2026
Having already had a major wobble through Turn 11 and an aborted lap after running out of track at Turn 4, the Frenchman ended FP1 in 18th, and – as if that wasn’t enough – experienced what might be the smokiest practice start MotoGP has seen in a long time.
