
In an intense and strategic 26-lap battle at the MotoGP Thailand Grand Prix, Pramac’s Jorge Martin emerged as the triumphant rider, narrowly beating out Brad Binder. However, a late penalty for Binder shuffled the rankings, propelling Francesco Bagnaia to the second position and narrowing the championship gap.
This grand prix was marked by a calculated approach to tire preservation, and the final laps witnessed a fierce contest for victory among Martin, Binder, and Bagnaia. Martin briefly lost the lead on lap 23 but made a stunning comeback, ultimately securing his fourth grand prix victory of the season.
Binder, unfortunately, had to relinquish his second-place position due to exceeding track limits on the final lap, which resulted in a penalty and bumped him down to third. This penalty proved to be a significant boon for Bagnaia, as he gained four crucial points in the championship race.
With just three rounds remaining, Martin now trails Bagnaia by a mere 13 points, having already closed the gap to 18 with a victory in the sprint race in Thailand. Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi remains within striking distance, trailing by 79 points in the championship standings, after finishing fourth on his VR46 Ducati.
The race had a familiar start, with Martin struggling to maintain his lead from pole position, while Luca Marini on the VR46 Ducati challenged him. However, Martin skillfully outbraked Marini into Turn 1 to regain the lead, with Aleix Espargaro and Bagnaia following closely. Binder overtook Bagnaia to claim fourth place, leading to a temporary shuffle in the order.
As the race progressed, Bagnaia faced a challenge from Honda’s Marc Marquez and found himself engaged in a thrilling duel for sixth place. Bagnaia managed to regain the upper hand, while Binder advanced to second place ahead of Espargaro.
With the pace staying relatively slow to preserve their tires, the top 18 riders were covered by just five seconds on lap seven. By lap 10, Bagnaia had worked his way up to fourth place, with Marini slipping behind Alex Marquez.
On lap 20, the battle at the front of the pack intensified, with Binder making his first attempt to overtake Martin at Turns 8 and 9. Martin successfully defended his position and reclaimed the lead on the next lap. Bagnaia also tried a daring move on the outside but couldn’t pull it off.
The final lap saw Binder running wide onto the green run-off area, resulting in a one-place penalty at the finish line, which promoted Bagnaia to second place. With just 0.253 seconds separating the top three, this race marked the fourth-closest premier class podium in history.
Despite a challenge from his VR46 teammate, Bezzecchi secured fourth place, while Aleix Espargaro was demoted to eighth post-race due to a penalty under the new tire pressure rules. This pushed Fabio Quartararo to fifth place and Marc Marquez to sixth, with Marini finishing seventh.
The top 10 was completed by Fabio Di Giannantonio and Johann Zarco. Franco Morbidelli secured 11th place, followed by Joan Mir, Enea Bastianini, Takaaki Nakagami, and Raul Fernandez.
Regrettably, technical issues forced the Aprilia duo of Maverick Vinales and Miguel Oliveira to retire from the race, adding further drama to an already action-packed MotoGP Thailand Grand Prix.