Rookie Surprise! Marc Marquez Takes Dominating Sprint Win in Thailand
Marc Marquez led the field in MotoGP's first Sprint of the 2025 season as a rookie surprises on his premier-class debut.
It’s only the first step in a long MotoGP season, but Marc Marquez has already shown flashes of that Marc Marquez.
The Catalan rider dominated the Sprint in Thailand, taking his first win as a factory Ducati rider and delivering a commanding victory for the Borgo Panigale manufacturer in a triple podium finish that left little room for rivals.
It was a remarkable solo display – Marquez started from pole, set an unmatchable pace, and left his brother Alex and teammate Francesco Bagnaia fighting for the remaining podium spots.
Unsurprisingly, Marquez called it a “perfect Saturday,” but he isn’t getting carried away. “It’s the first Saturday of the year – it’s only a Saturday.”
“Sport can change from one day to the next,” he said. “So, I’m happy, but not super happy, because I know tomorrow is the important day.”
Marquez acknowledged the weight of expectations coming into his factory Ducati debut, admitting that “something arrived” in terms of pressure before the 13-lap Sprint. But he handled it flawlessly, leading every lap and crossing the line 1.185s ahead of Alex and 3.423s clear of Bagnaia.
“I tried to use my experience and not feel those expectations,” he explained. “But in the end, they were there. Still, we had a solid Saturday – pole position, Sprint win, and my brother in second. That makes me even happier.”
Despite his dominant performance, Marquez believes he still has “some margin” to explore on the Ducati, particularly in a few braking zones.
In today’s Sprint, Marquez was one of the few riders to opt for the soft front tire – a choice that paid off, as he and the other two riders who went with the same compound all finished in the top four (alongside him, his brother Alex and Aprilia Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura).
Tomorrow’s temperatures are expected to be even higher than today, yet the eight-time world champion doesn’t plan on changing his front tire choice.
The situation is different for the rear tire, but Marquez already has a clear idea after testing every possible combination in Friday’s practice sessions.
“I don’t think I’ll change anything for tomorrow. Pecco will run the hard front tire, but I tried it and I don’t like the feeling it gives me.”
“Or rather, I like it in the first part of the race, but then I don’t like it at the end, in the last few laps. It seems to drop off even more than the soft.”
“As for the rear tire, we’re expecting even higher temperatures tomorrow, extreme ones. Today was already incredibly hot, but tomorrow could be worse.”
“We’ll see what Ducati says and how we feel on track. I’ve tested all possible tire combinations in practice, and I have a pretty clear idea of what I want for tomorrow.”
Marquez may have topped the Sprint and taken the early championship lead, but he knows the real battle is still ahead.
“What I understood from all these years in MotoGP is that it doesn’t matter if you win by one second or three seconds,” he said. “What matters is finishing the race.”
“In two or three braking points, I had some margin,” he noted. “But sometimes, if you push at 100%, you make mistakes. So today, I managed the gap and focused on understanding what we need for tomorrow.”
He also pinpointed Sector 3 as an area where he needs to “take a little bit more risk” in the Grand Prix. “I know where I’m losing a tenth, but I need to push a little more there,” he said.
Marquez looked smooth and precise on the bike from the very first practice sessions. This Ducati Desmosedici GP24.5 seems to fit him like a glove, and he doesn’t hide it.
“Since Malaysia, I’ve felt I have the speed on this 2024.5 bike. Even here, every time I go out on track, I push 100%, but I also try not to overdo it.”
