Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali hailed the “impressive plan” to host a Bangkok Grand Prix in Thailand after a meeting with the nation’s Prime Minister.

Domenicali travelled from the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne to head to Thailand to discuss with the government in Bangkok plans to host F1 in the iconic city.

Following the Tuesday meeting, the Italian came away with positive thoughts regarding the feasibility of expanding F1 to the Thai region.

“I was delighted to meet with Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the Prime Minister of Thailand, and her team today to discuss their impressive plans to host a race in Bangkok. 

“I am looking forward to continuing our discussions in the weeks and months ahead.”

Domenicali has overseen F1’s expansion into new regions during his tenure as CEO, which was recently extended through 2029.

F1 has established a strong foothold in the Middle East and the United States of America, with the USA now hosting three Grand Prix on an annual basis.

Now, F1’s plan is to expand into new markets and interest has been drawn not only from Thailand, but South Africa, Rwanda and South Korea.

The South-East Asian market is of particular interest however, and a Thai GP would certainly be warmly received given the presence of Anglo-Thai driver Alex Albon on the current F1 grid.

Moreover, Thai billionaire Chalerm Yoovidhya is the 51% majority owner of Red Bull GmbH, the parent company of Red Bull Racing.

Domenicali: ‘F1 receiving a lot of attention from several regions’

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 in Melbourne, Domenicali said: “The good thing we were able to do in the last couple of years is to focus on the place that we do believe represents the future for F1.

“We receive a lot of attention from other places in the world.

“We have other places in Europe, as you know there are interests in Africa, there are interests in South America as well.”

What could an F1 Thailand GP look like?

Thailand currently hosts the FIM MotoGP world championship at the Buriram circuit and made moves to lure F1 to the region last year.

Former Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin visited Domenicali at the Emilia Romagna GP last year in Imola, but his plans were put on hold after Thailand’s Constitutional Court ordered him to be removed from office.

Prime Minister Shinawatra has helped move plans forward with Domenicali and F1 reporter Joe Saward has key insights as to what both parties could be looking to glean from a potential Grand Prix partnership.

Saward reports that F1 is looking for an exciting Asian venue to commit to a long-term, stable, government-guaranteed GP, ideally with a 10-year contract.

It’s also believed that plans are being evaluated for a permanent track to be built in Bangkok, which will be welcome news for F1 purists and the ‘not another street circuit brigade.’

Plans to redevelop a former Bangkok bus station adjacent to a public park could prove fertile ground for such a development while maintaining a presence in one of the most thriving cities in the world.

The major issue left for Domenicali to judge is keeping the F1 calendar limited to its already bloated 24-round self.

Some headway has been made on this front, with the Belgian GP accepting a rotational deal with its recent extension and the Dutch GP due to drop off the calendar after 2026.

READ MORE – Indonesia, Thailand and South Korea all interested in F1 race

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A spokesperson for Ducati has revealed three of its riders raced at the Thai MotoGP round with the manufacturer’s updated 2025 engine.

Both factory Ducati riders, Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, as well as Fabio Di Giannantonio all competed with the 2025 specifications in Thailand.

This comes after the Bologna-based factory initially announced all six of its bikes would be using last year’s engine after encountering problems with this year’s prototype throughout winter testing. 

The Italian marque has now gone back on its announcement, with two different types of engines being used by the reigning manufacturers’ champion.

This means that the three riders used a different type to second-placed finisher Alex Marquez, his Gresini teammate Fermin Aldeguer and VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli – all of whom currently ride on GP24s of the specification used at last year’s Austrian Grand Prix.  

“Indeed, they are two different specifications,” a Ducati spokesperson confirmed according to reports from Motorsport.com. 

“The one for Marc, Pecco and Diggia includes some small changes compared to the one for Alex, Franco and Fermin.”

“In the more modern specification, we have taken into account Marc and Pecco’s comments,” added the spokesperson, who emphasised that the differences between the two models “are small”.

Ducati continued its dominance from 2024 into this season’s opener at the Thailand Grand Prix.

Marc Marquez dominated on his factory Ducati debut winning both the sprint race and grand prix, while younger brother Alex finished second in both races. Bagnaia joined the Marquez brothers on the podium in both contests.

Morbidelli made it an all-Ducati top four in the main race, while Di Giannantonio was down in 10th after recovering from a broken collarbone, with Aldeguer in 13th on his MotoGP debut.

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TNT Sports pundit Neil Hodgson says Marc Marquez can “manipulate” MotoGP teams to suit his needs in a “similar manner” to Valentino Rossi.

Marquez won both races on his debut with the factory Ducati squad at the season-opening Thai Grand Prix, finishing over two seconds clear of teammate Francesco Bagnaia.

It has long been anticipated the 2025 title battle would be between the two teammates, but the championship could be decided by who gets the most support from the team.

Hodgson believes this is where Marquez can “manipulate” the team to fight in his corner, and drew comparisons to the Spaniard’s long-time rival Rossi. 

“People at home will think about Marc [Marquez]: arrogance, because of his behaviour on track,” Hodgson assessed.

“But he’s a people person, he’s a real team player. He’s really good – this sounds harsh – at manipulating the team around him.

“I underline that by saying it’s part of the job. You want all the guys in the team to fight for you. Marc is the master of that.

“Do you know who was better than him, or as good as him? Valentino [Rossi].

“Valentino could manipulate a team around him very well.”

‘Ducati love winners’: how Marc Marquez could upset Francesco Bagnaia in 2025

Marquez joined Ducati after its most dominant campaign in recent memory, with Bagnaia taking 11 victories aboard the GP24 last season.

While Hodgson admitted “Ducati love winners” he suggested Marquez could get the garage in his favour over the two-time champion.

“It’s not his first rodeo! He knows how to play the press, and a garage,” Hodgson continued.

“He’s very good at turning the garage he works in all onto his side. They loved him at Gresini and at Honda.

“Now he’s got the ultimate challenge of turning Bagnaia’s garage into a Marc Marquez garage.

“Pecco [Bagnaia] won their first MotoGP title since Casey Stoner in 2007. An Italian on their bike winning the championship was huge. They love Pecco at Ducati.

“But one thing I know is that Ducati love winners.”

Hodgson’s TNT Sports colleague Michael Laverty added Marquez is “confident” now he is working with the “best engineers” in the paddock.

“He did sometimes at Gresini. At Aragon he probably arrived confidently, but he was always on the back foot on the older machine,” Laverty said.

“Now, he’s got the best tools on the planet at his disposal, and the best engineers.

“The swagger in how he walks around the paddock? He is confident.”

READ MORE – Francesco Bagnaia ‘not in MotoGP to finish third’ after Thai GP struggles

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Marco Bezzecchi says his Aprilia machinery “doesn’t always accept” how he rides during qualifying following the opening MotoGP round in Thailand.

Bezzecchi started his career with the Noale-based factory by qualifying eighth and finishing inside the top six in the main race on Sunday.

The Italian said he “expected” his season to start in this manner but stressed he is still aiming for better results from qualifying.

“At the end, it’s not better, not worse,” he said via Crash.net.

“It’s almost how I expected to begin the season. To be honest, I wanted to do better in qualifying.

“Still in time attack I’m not the best. I didn’t try many time attacks in testing because of the items to try, so we didn’t concentrate on that and I think I’m paying a bit for this lack of time attacks in testing.

“It’s the point where I have to improve the most. I think when I have to ride even more by instinct like I’m used to doing in the past years, the bike doesn’t always accept how I ride in time attack.

“So, this is why I make some small mistakes.”

Marco Bezzecchi: ‘Tough to deal with Aprilia front tyre temperatures’

Speaking about his debut grand prix aboard the RS-GP, the Rimini native suggested the front tyre overheating prevented him from making any progress after the race start.

“The start was ok, fortunately, and from that point, it was completely another story,” he said of his grand prix.

“It was tough anyway because being behind some bikes puts everything really hot, especially the front tyre that from the beginning was over-temp.

“I had the alarms on the dash through all the race. Also when I passed Jack [Miller], I had free space in front, I spent four laps trying to remove the alarms from the dash.

“But anyway, some positive points. I wanted to get in front of Jack and Raul [Fernandez] earlier, but I wasn’t fast enough to immediately overtake.”

Aprilia has struggled in recent years with the heat generated by the bike in the flyaway rounds, but Bezzecchi said it was better than what past Aprilia riders had said.

Speaking about the heat of the bike, Bezzecchi stated: “Really, really good, to be honest,”

“It was hot, of course, it’s b******* if I say not. But it was nothing crazy compared to the other bikes.

“I expected hearing the comments from Aleix [Espargaro] and Maverick [Vinales] in the last years much, much worse.

“Or I’m very fit or the bike is very fresh. One of the two. I think the second!”

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LCR Honda rider Johann Zarco admitted his Thai MotoGP race was “better than I expected” after finishing in seventh place.

The Frenchman crossed the line as the lead Honda rider after factory rider Joan Mir crashed out of proceedings.

Hondas first weekend of 2025 showed positive signs as Zarco’s seventh place already bettered its best 2024 result.

“I’m quite happy with this 7th position because it was what I was hoping for, but you never know if you’re going to get what you want.

“The strategy of using a different tyre from the Sprint turned out to be quite good and I’m happy to have improved with this bike and to have the sensations I need.

“The first 10 laps were perhaps the most difficult for me because I had to try to manage the medium rear tyre, while the others were able to battle a bit more with the soft.

“I kept my composure when I saw Morbidelli and Ogura go away and stayed in the group near 10th position, hoping I could do something good in the final stages.

“It was tough, but with 15 laps to go I told myself that I had to be patient because I knew I had managed the rear tyre well and hoped that at some point there would come a time when I would be strong and could take advantage of having the medium compound.

“That moment came when there were 10 laps to go, I stayed focused and got closer to those ahead of me to try and pass them.

Zarco admitted he chose to bring the bike home despite closing in on Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi.

“Finding myself in seventh position anyway, I didn’t want to risk ruining the moment by making a mistake. I am quite happy with this result, which gives us great hope for the upcoming races.

“In a long and difficult race like this one, we finished with a 15-second gap from the leaders, and I would say it went perhaps better than I expected.”

Johann Zarco another victim who suffered burns during race

Johann Zarco was another victim of the scorching hot weather who suffered burns during the 26-lap race.

The two-time Moto2 champion stated that it made things more “difficult” in the race but it wasn’t “dangerous” to himself or his fellow competitors.

“I also got burned on my calf,” Zarco revealed to GPOne.

“But it didn’t just happen to us Honda riders; Miller also burned his calf and Brad Binder got burns. All the bikes have struggled in the heat.

“It is more difficult [to ride], but not to the point where it becomes dangerous. It’s simply too hot for the bikes, but it could start to be dangerous if the engine starts to break down, because the failure of the engine could lead to the rear wheel locking up.

“While it does have the problem of the burns, I don’t think it is too dangerous. Even at the Suzuka 8 Hours, the CBR was hot because of the high temperatures, and the heat from the engine in sixth gear burned my right foot.”

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Fabio Quartararo explained that “grip problems” were the cause for a tough Thai MotoGP season opening race.

Yamaha had made some steps forward in the off-season to its M1, but Quartararo made no clear goals for the season opener.

The Frenchman had reasons to be optimistic for the Sunday race after finishing seventh in the first Sprint race of the season.

He finished in 15th place, the final point scoring place, after dropping to the back of the pecking order at the start of the race.

“From the beginning we had grip problems,” Quatararo began to GPOne.

“I thought it was related to the tyre temperature, but even after three laps the situation did not improve.

“I couldn’t lean the bike and kept sliding, so I lost a lot of positions. Unfortunately, I was not able to have a good race and keep a good pace. It was tough.”

The 2021 champion revealed that his tyre choice setup played a part in proceedings, explaining that neither compound helped him.

“I had opted for the hard-soft combination, but the hard made me suffer a lot and the softs did not help us even in the first few laps,” he said.

Fabio Quartararo’s left leg was ‘burning’ due to weather temperatures

Quartararo revealed that his lack of grip wasn’t the only issue that troubled his season opener.

The temperature in Buriram itself was a cause of concern for the 2021 MotoGP champion, as temperatures neared 40 degrees Celsius.

The lasting effects saw Quartararo have a “burning” feeling on his left leg, leading him to suggest a shorter race for riders.

“At the finish line my left leg was burning. There were extreme conditions. You don’t often encounter such heat, maybe a few less laps would have made the show worse, but for us riders they were the limit.

“I honestly don’t know if we will be back here in 2026 at this time of year. In testing it was 4-5 degrees cooler and it was better.”

“I personally would have agreed to run a few fewer laps,” he admitted if there were any proposals.

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Francesco Bagnaia says he is “not here to finish third” after a disappointing weekend for the Ducati rider at the MotoGP season opener in Thailand.

Bagnaia struggled throughout the Thai GP, as he had to go through the first round of qualifying on Saturday and was only able to finish third in both races behind Marc and Alex Marquez.

The Italian expressed disappointment with his results but acknowledged that he had extracted “the maximum” from the weekend.

“I’m not here to finish third,” Bagnaia said during the post-race press conference.

“I learnt from last year that it’s important to take the maximum and to take the correct risk.

“Today, I was just trying to manage the situation because I was a bit risking to finish third. I was there behind and every time I was trying to close the gap I was having problems with the front.

“So, it was the maximum I could [do]. I will never sign for a third place but it was the maximum, and next time I will try to be second and then, the time after, first.

“But I need to start working on my setup, on my bike, like we did from Saturday, and close the gap to them [Alex and Marc Marquez].”

Bagnaia: Marc Marquez ‘played’ MotoGP field in Thailand

Bagnaia suggested he was already on the backfoot throughout the weekend due to problems he’d had at the Buriram test, which led to him arriving under-prepared for the race.

“On Friday we finished the job that we didn’t do in the test, so I needed to set up a bit more on Saturday morning, and I was a bit too late,” Bagnaia said.

“I didn’t try well the front tyres. Yesterday, I decided to go with the hard [front tyre] but it wasn’t the correct choice and today I used the soft that was working much better, but I think I wasn’t on the correct setup for trying to have an advantage.”

The Turin native also hinted at potential mind games developing on team-mate Marc Marquez’s side of the garage.

Marquez won Sunday’s race by 1.732s over his brother Alex despite dropping behind the Gresini rider due to a tyre pressure warning.

Bagnaia insisted he felt Marquez “played” with both riders over the Thai weekend.

“I think that Marc [Marquez] today played a bit with us, also for his problem with the pressure; but as soon as he decided to go he gave me like 2.3 seconds in three laps.

“So, he was much faster and I have to improve, learn what he’s doing better, and close this gap because I know that the next two race weekends [Argentina and the US] are very good for both of them but I need to be closer.”

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Ai Ogura says shadowing two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia at the ThaiGP Sprint has helped him adapt his riding style for MotoGP.

On his debut weekend in the premier class, the Japanese rider stunned by taking fourth place in the Sprint, followed by a fifth place in Sunday’s Grand Prix.

Ogura credited his result in the main race to learning tyre management from Bagnaia and adopting the Italian’s “smooth” riding style.

“[Following Bagnaia] was really helpful for me for today’s main race,” Ogura told TNT Sports after Sunday’s race.

“I learned from Pecco [Bagnaia] to be smooth and it was even more important for the main race. So, that was a good point of the day. 

“It’s really hard to mention one thing that I improved on, I just improved everywhere. I tried to be good on the brake, on the mid-corner, on the exit and every small detail.

“I cannot mention one [thing] but everywhere I am working.”

Ogura credits Trackhouse for ‘unexpected’ MotoGP debut

The Trackhouse rider was undoubtedly the biggest surprise of the weekend, as he finished both races as the top non-Ducati rider.

Ogura was also seven and a half seconds clear of Marco Bezzecchi, who was the next-best Aprilia in sixth.

The rookie was unfazed by the results and suggested it was down to doing “what the team asked” throughout the weekend.

“Of course, I’m feeling really nice. Today’s race was just like yesterday, I could learn from one of the big names so it was the main target of the race.  

“It was much more than I expected of course. I was just getting used to the bike little by little and every session this weekend I tried to handle everything.

“Somehow this result shows up and my team was very happy so it was great.  I just did what the team asked me to do, I cannot thank them enough.

“The start is not about the bike, it’s about the rider feeling and luckily it was there so let’s keep working like this. 

Franco Morbidelli: Ogura ‘MVP’ of opening MotoGP weekend

Franco Morbidelli was one of the riders Ogura was able to get the better of in the Sprint, but the VR46 rider pipped him to fourth in the main race.

The Italian admitted he had expected the Japanese rider “to drop back” due to tyre degradation, but commended Ogura’s opening weekend as “spotless”.

“Today, the MVP of the day, which is Ai Ogura, was impressive,” Morbidelli said after the Sprint.

“To overtake him in the beginning of the race I made a mistake, then I was expecting him to drop back some spots.

“But instead he had a spotless race, it was impressive, and it was very hot, but very beautiful at the same time to see him race in this way in his first Sprint race ever in MotoGP.”

Morbidelli continued: “We’ve seen Aprilias being very quick in Sprint races, so it doesn’t surprise me that he’s on an Aprilia; what surprises me is that this is his first race weekend ever in MotoGP,

“We see how rookies struggle in new categories, apart from Pedro Acosta and Ai Ogura.”

Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori also had praise for the rookie: “I’m happy for the result for Ai, for Ogura, because it was very impressive. We are working in a correct way and we are happy.

“The feeling he has after eight days of testing, because he rode very well, very smooth, and aggressive in some points.

“Honestly, I’m happy for me and for Aprilia because also he’s a rookie and he’s able to arrive to 100 per cent, or close to 100 per cent, in the Sprint because he did a very good Sprint.

“Also, in general, this track for us is not a super-friendly track for us, so it’s positive.”

READ MORE – Marc Marquez: Thai MotoGP weekend ‘the best of my life’

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Enea Bastianini admitted he made steps forward “in all directions” on his Tech3 KTM MotoGP bike after the season opener in Thailand.

Bastianini finished ninth in the Thai Grand Prix but struggled in the Sprint race the day before, finishing third-last at a track where he had won the Sprint the previous year.

The Italian moved over to KTM in 2025 after leaving the factory Ducati squad following the arrival of eight-time champion Marc Marquez.

To put his progress into perspective, he finished 23.9s behind the Spaniard in the Sprint’s 13 lap race, but reduced the gap to 20s after the Sunday race, where race distance had doubled to 26 laps.

“We took a step forward in all directions, that is, we were able to sort out the bike a bit, something we had lacked in the tests,” he stated to GPOne.

“This weekend on the other hand, we worked better, step by step, without any revolutions and a good base was found that allowed me to start today knowing what I had in my hands and almost being able to take it to the limit.

“I still have the bike in my hands recently and there is definitely still a lot of margin [to improve on].”

Earlier in the weekend, Bastianini rated his feeling on the RC16 as a “1 out of 10”, but after Sunday’s ride through the field he showed how much better he now felt.

“Today [Sunday] I felt more comfortable. Until yesterday, we were at 1, now I’d say we’re up to 4 and I feel in a much better condition than when I got to. Results aside, the feeling has improved.”

Enea Bastianini pinpoints area of improvement

The Tech3 rider pinpointed the areas needed to improve the Austrian marque in the forthcoming races.

“The corner entry and the first phase of the exit are the points where we lose the most, there we can’t turn the bike and it happens that we lose there 5/6 km/h that we then carry late throughout the exit.

“There is a weakness that affects us a lot, especially at the beginning of the race, whereas the tyre starts to go down, we are consistent.

“On the last lap we also had a good battle with Brad [Binder] and compared to what was seen in practice the pace was better overall.

“Now I’m curious to go to Argentina because I think some things will be able to help us there.”

READ MORE – Pierer Mobility Group restructuring plan approved by creditors

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Gresini rider Alex Marquez has described the Thai MotoGP weekend as “super special” after securing a treble of 1-2 finishes with brother Marc Marquez.

The pair have become the first set of brothers to hold the top-two positions in the MotoGP championship standings after dominating the weekend at the Chang International Circuit.

Despite qualifying and finishing second in the Sprint, Marquez admitted he didn’t expect to finish ahead of Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia in Sunday’s grand prix.

“I’m super, super happy all weekend overall,” Marquez told TNT Sports after the race.

“I said yesterday Sunday is still ahead of us so it will be an important day, and we did it. 1-2, 1-2 which is something amazing, a super special weekend for all the family.

“I thought before the start of the race that Marc [Marquez] for sure had something more than me, but Pecco [Bagnaia] too. For that reason, I tried to attack, to put some metres there in the first lap and try to push.

“Maybe I use a little bit too much energy there, but when I was leading for many many laps I was using all my energy , not my one but the tyre’s, and I got to the end on the limit.

“These are the races that give you the experience of MotoGP, leading and having the pace so I’m super happy.”  

Alex Marquez: ‘not possible’ to beat Marc in Thai GP

Marquez led over half of the season opening grand prix after overtaking Marc Marquez on lap seven, but was unable to see it through to the chequered flag.

It was later revealed that the factory Ducati rider elected to drop behind his brother to avoid a tyre pressure penalty.

The Gresini rider admitted he thought he had an opportunity to take his first career win, but realised that Marquez was saving energy.

“I was just trying not to override, trying not to make mistakes, just trying to ride the bike. This was my main objective, not make a mistake, try to be smooth in every corner.

“In one moment I thought I may have the opportunity to win because I thought Marc maybe was struggling with the front tyre, but he saved it.

“When he overtook me after two corners I realised it wasn’t possible, but I was able to keep Pecco behind so I’m happy for that.” 

Despite his progression over the weekend, the Gresini rider still believes he is “one step” behind the factory Ducati duo but hopes he can get a win later in the campaign.

“If we have the opportunity I will try for sure like I did today, but we are still one step back compared to Marc and Pecco,” Marquez confirmed.

“They are more consistent than us so the experience from today will be the key to us for the future.

“We will try to keep working and we can do great things for the season.”

READ MORE – Marc Marquez: Thai MotoGP weekend ‘the best of my life’

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