Not even a crash could slow down Marco Bezzecchi. The Aprilia Racing rider was clearly in his element going around the Chang International Circuit, finishing Free Practice 2 with a time of 1:29.65. While it was a far cry from his record time on Friday, no one else on the grid got near him. Read on for the key points of the MotoGP FP2 session of the Thai GP.
Going into the Free Practice 2 Session
There was a lot to take away from Friday’s Practice session, including the ongoing conversation of the Aprilia and Ducati battle. Both Marc Márquez and Marco Bezzecchi made favourable comments about the other to the media afterwards.
While M.Márquez advanced to Q2, his Ducati Lenovo teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, did not. In fact, Álex Márquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio were the only other Ducati Desmosedici GP26 riders that made it into the top ten. After the Ducati domination of the 2025 season, seeing such a mixed bag of riders at the top of the timeboard has been a shock to many.
Given the short time between the end of FP2 and the beginning of the first qualifying session, it was expected to be a clean half an hour. Or, so we thought.
Bezzecchi Makes First Error of the Weekend
Gone were the dark clouds that loomed overhead the previous day, with temperatures set to climb as the day wore on. Once again, no one was wasting time when the green lights flashed to indicate the start of the FP2 session. Raúl Fernández was quick to come up to second on the timeboard behind Bezzecchi. The #25 missed out on advancing to Q2 with his Trackhouse MotoGP teammate, Ai Ogura, on Friday.
It all looked smooth for Bezzecchi as he was flying around the circuit until he made his first mistake of the Thai GP. The #72 Aprilia Racing rider lost the front going into Turn 3.
With no choice but to return to the pits, the track was wide open for the grid to beat Bezzecchi’s personal best time of 1:29.654. But the Italian was back out less than 10 minutes later with torn leathers and no change to the order.
The Final Ten Minutes of FP2 Warm Up
Everyone seemed to keep it tight as they warmed up around the Chang International Circuit. Diogo Moreira had a better run in FP2, continuing to learn the handling of his LCR Honda machine. The Brazilian rider has historically been quiet on Fridays during his time in Moto2.
The other rookie on track, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, was falling back onto his skills from World Superbikes to make it around on the Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP bike. In the end, there was little movement at the top of the timesheet, riders opting to keep to a clean ride before qualifying.
Top Ten of the Morning
- Marco Bezzecchi
- Pedro Acosta
- Álex Márquez
- Ai Ogura
- Franco Morbidelli
- Marc Márquez
- Raúl Fernández
- Jorge Martín
- Francesco Bagnaia
- Fabio Di Giannantonio
What You Need to Know for the Qualifying Showdown
There are only two spots left in Q2, and many potential riders to battle it out in Q1. Michele Pirro will need to do whatever he can to make up places in Q1 with a 3-place grid penalty to be served on Sunday. With all Yamaha riders in the mix, they will also be pushing the V4-powered engines to the limit, though that limit is quite restricted at the moment. Whatever the outcome, it’s sure to be a thrilling watch. Stay with us as we bring you all the Saturday action of the PT Grand Prix of Thailand.