Marco Bezzecchi made a bold statement in the first MotoGP session of the season, topping practice in Thailand by almost half a second. The Aprilia rider set a late track record of 1m28.526s, leaving world champion Marc Marquez in his dust by 0.421s. The Ducati team faced familiar struggles, with Marc Marquez's teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, failing to make the top 10 and missing out on direct access to Q2. The weather played a significant role, with dark clouds and spots of rain causing uncertainty for the competitors throughout the 60-minute session. Despite the challenges, Ai Ogura from Trackhouse Aprilia demonstrated the benefits of an early banker lap, securing his spot in Q2 despite a late fall. Johann Zarco from LCR Honda was the last man to make the cut, joining the top 10 alongside all the expected stars, including Fabio di Giannantonio, Pedro Acosta, Jorge Martin, Alex Marquez, and Joan Mir. KTM's Brad Binder also had a successful afternoon, finishing eighth-quickest. However, Yamaha's Fabio Quartararo, who struggled in the morning session, ended up 16th-quickest, one spot behind his world champion teammate, Bagnaia. The results highlighted the competitive nature of the MotoGP, with Bezzecchi's impressive performance setting an ominous tone for the rest of the season.
