New factory Ducati rider Marc Marquez led the way in first practice for the season-opening Thai Grand Prix on Friday.
Marquez took to the top spot in the 45-minute session at Buriram with an initial benchmark of 1m29.592s, before cementing his place with a time of 1m29.423s.
VR46’s Franco Morbidelli jumped to second place at the end of the session, but still ended up almost two tenths down on six-time MotoGP champion Marquez.
Morbidelli’s former team-mate Fabio Quartararo finished an encouraging third for Yamaha, with Jack Miller backing up that performance in fourth in a Pramac-entered M1.
Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi and Trackhouse rookie Ai Ogura finished fifth and sixth respectively, ahead of Gresini’s Alex Marquez, Pramac rider Miguel Oliveira and Tech3 KTM recruit Maverick Vinales.
Two-time MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia had a scruffy session en route to 10th, seven tenths down on team-mate Marquez.
Johann Zarco was the fastest Honda rider in 11th.
Photos from Thailand GP – Friday
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