Marc Marquez will begin his first MotoGP races as a Ducati Lenovo rider from pole place at Buriram.
Quickest in pre-season testing, then Friday observe, Marquez’s pole was not a shock, however he admitted to feeling stress forward of his first qualifying in ‘crimson’.
“Tremendous completely happy to begin on this manner,” mentioned Marquez, searching for to finish a four-year title drought after shifting to the manufacturing facility Ducati workforce.
“If you arrive in an official workforce you have got stress, particularly if you’re in the very best workforce of the second.
“However I really feel tremendous good all weekend, I’m using in a great way. And let’s see.
“Now it’s crucial half: The Dash and [GP] Race. We are going to attempt to do an excellent begin, preserve our degree. Now we have an excellent tempo however in races something can occur.
“I’m additionally tremendous completely happy to share the entrance row with my brother.”
Marc was solely 0.146s faster than youthful brother and former Gresini Ducati team-mate Alex, who confirmed his pre-season kind was not a mirage.
“The principle job right this moment was the entrance row on this warmth to keep away from issues with the entrance tyre,” smiled Alex. “These two guys [Marc and Bagnaia] have one thing barely extra however you by no means know.
“For positive I’ll combat however we have to construct a stable base within the first race weekend.”
Marc’s new team-mate Francesco Bagnaia salvaged a entrance row after battling by way of Qualifying 1, the legacy of an incorrect yellow flag after which obstruction from Franco Morbidelli.
Keen to save lots of a second new tyre for Q2, Bagnaia remained within the pits for the closing phases of Qualifying 1, watching on pensively as others tried to knock him from the highest.
“The primary white hair on my head comes right this moment!” he joked. “It was not a simple selection but it surely was the right selection as a result of the second tyre helped me so much to be on the entrance row.
“It was only a disgrace to be in Qualifying 1 after what occurred yesterday. However we’re on the entrance row and we all know we’re quicker on tempo than we’re on one lap…”
Bagnaia was 0.173s behind Marc Marquez.
Jack Miller joined Bagnaia in breaking out of Qualifying 1, then took benefit of a tow behind the Italian to thrill Pramac Yamaha with fourth place on the grid in Qualifying 2.
Rookie Ai Ogura was arguably the hero of the session, ending fifth for Trackhouse, simply 0.352s from pole, and high Aprilia in his very first MotoGP qualifying!
Franco Morbidelli will full row two for VR46 however has a 3 place grid penalty to serve on Sunday (however not the Dash) for holding up Bagnaia yesterday.
Pedro Acosta was high KTM in seventh forward of Ogura’s team-mate Raul Fernandez.
Manufacturing facility Aprilia star Marco Bezzecchi and Honda’s Joan Mir each crashed within the closing phases, leaving them to begin ninth and eleventh respectively and bringing out yellow flags that dampened the top of the session.
Monster Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo was tenth with countryman Johann Zarco twelfth for LCR Honda.
The 13-lap Thai MotoGP Dash race begins at 3pm native time, when temperatures are set to hit 38 levels.
