MotoGP Thai Sprint Race: Acosta wins after Marquez penalty, Bezzecchi crashes out
Updated: 15:32, 28 Feb
1 Comments
Andrew McLarneyMotoGP Reporter
Andrew McLarney is a MotoGP reporter for GPBlog. With three years as a professional writer across the sports and video game industries, his early passion for combat sports evolved into a deep interest in UFC and eventually motorsport — with MotoGP becoming his primary focus. On top of that he is also an avid follower of MXGP and AMA Supercross as well as F1 and GT racing.
The first sprint race of the 2026 season did not disappoint as the riders took to the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand.
Pedro Acosta claimed his first victory in MotoGP after a dramatic battle with Marc Marquez in which the reigning world champion was penalized and forced to drop a position on the final lap.
The controversial decision caused the world champion to cast a sarcastic gesture towards the track-side stewards, and clearly he feels that the overtake was a fair move.
Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi, who started from Pole position, crashed out on lap 2 under pressure from Marquez. The Italian will still be a favourite for tomorrow's race despite dropping points.
Pramac's Toprak Razgatlioglu was the only other crasher of the session, but managed to rejoin and finish the race - he briefly climbed to 15th and was ahead of both Alex Rins and Fabio Quartararo before losing the front and sliding off the track.
ADVERTISEMENT
Elsewhere, it was a strong showing for Trackhouse who finished 3rd and 4th, with Raul Fernandez rounding off the podium and Ai Ogura finishing ahead of factory rider Jorge Martin.
| Position | Rider (Team) |
| 1 | Pedro Acosta (KTM Factory Racing) |
| 2 | Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo) |
| 3 | Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse Racing) |
| 4 | Ai Ogura (Trackhouse Racing) |
| 5 | Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) |
| 6 | Brad Binder (KTM Factory Racing) |
| 7 | Joan Mir (Honda HRC) |
| 8 | Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46) |
| 9 | Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo) |
| 10 | Luca Marini (Honda HRC) |
| 11 | Alex Marquez (Gresini Racing) |
| 12 | Johann Zarco (Castrol Honda) |
| 13 | Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda) |
| 14 | Franco Morbidelli (VR46) |
| 15 | Jack Miller (Pramac Yamaha) |
| 16 | Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) |
| 17 | Enea Bastianini (KTM Tech3) |
| 18 | Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha) |
| 19 | Maverick Vinales (KTM Tech3) |
| 20 | Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pramac Yamaha) |
| 21 | Michele Pirro (Gresini Racing) |
| DNF | Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) |
The full 2026 Thailand Grand Prix main race is set to take place tomorrow Sunday 1 March at 09:00am CET (08:00am GMT).
Stay up to date with all the latest MotoGP news here on GP Blog.
Read also
ADVERTISEMENT
Don’t miss GPblog in Google
Mark us as a preferred source and our articles will appear more often at the top of Top Stories.
Add as a preferred / source on GoogleRead more about:
latest news
Monaco Grand Prix
Overview
Friday 05.06.26
Practice 1
11:30 AM
Practice 2
03:00 PM
Saturday 06.06.26
Practice 3
10:30 AM
Qualification
02:00 PM
Sunday 07.06.26
Race
01:00 PM
Friday 05.06.26
Practice 1
Fri 11:30 AM
Practice 2
Fri 03:00 PM
Saturday 06.06.26
Practice 3
Sat 10:30 AM
Qualification
Sat 02:00 PM
Sunday 07.06.26
Race
Sun 01:00 PM
Times are in your local timezone
Rumors
Popular on GPBlog
1
MotoGP Friday Practice Results: Diggia tops FP1, Marquez off the pace
847 times read
2
MotoGP Italian Grand Prix: Marquez through to Q2 as Ducati dominate Aprilia
673 times read
3
F1 LIVE | Hamilton confident of first Ferrari win, Domenicali backs V8 return
620 times read
4
Verstappen urged to make final call on F1 future: 'He needs to make up his mind'
547 times read
F1-stand 2026
Season
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | MercedesMER | 131 | |
2 | MercedesMER | 88 | |
3 | FerrariFER | 75 | |
4 | FerrariFER | 72 | |
5 | McLarenMCL | 58 | |
6 | McLarenMCL | 48 | |
7 | Red Bull RacingRBR | 43 | |
8 | AlpineALP | 20 | |
9 | HaasHAA | 18 | |
10 | Racing BullsRCB | 16 |
Loading
