Dressed in the brand’s resplendent red, Marc Marquez led the way in qualifying ahead of Gresini’s Alex Marquez while Francesco Bagnaia wound up third on the other factory Desmosedici.

Jack Miller was the surprise packet on the satellite Yamaha, qualifying fourth for Pramac ahead of Trackhouse rookie Ai Ogura on his Aprilia. However, that would be the only highlight of the Australian’s Saturday.

Alex Marquez was displaced by Bagnaia into Turn 1 but got the position back on the switchback.

Marc Marquez controlled the lion’s share of proceedings, putting the focus on the battle for third between Bagnaia and a hard-charging Ogura who displaced Miller at the start.

Miller’s day ended early when he crashed at Turn 8 just six laps into the 13-lap contest.

Jack Miller OUT

tucked the front into turn 8

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— Fox Motorsport (@Fox_Motorsport) March 1, 2025

“Didn’t quite go to plan today,” Miller wrote post-race.

“After a great qualifying finishing P4, I was pushing hard in the Sprint but ignored the warning signs and she [the bike] let go from me. All part of the game. Learned a lot, ready to go again tomorrow for the main race.”

VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli was fifth followed by Pedro Acosta, Fabio Quartararo, Brad Binder, Joan Mir and Johann Zarco.

“It was the perfect Saturday, and the best way to start this new journey with the Ducati Lenovo Team,” said Marquez.

“Both pole position and sprint race win are important and I’m happy, but I know that tomorrow’s race is what counts the most.

“We’ll try to be consistent. Pecco is very strong as so is Alex, who showed his speed both in testing and in the weekend so far.”

Its an all Ducati podium

Marc Marquez win his maiden Sprint Victory from Pole

What a start to 2025

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— Fox Motorsport (@Fox_Motorsport) March 1, 2025

Marc Marquez’s teammate Bagnaia, a two-time MotoGP world champion, was not entirely happy with Saturday’s result.

“It was a positive race, especially in light of how things went during testing and after what happened yesterday,” he explained.

“Clearly, we can be only 60 to 70 percent satisfied, as we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to make a full evaluation of the weekend.

“We still need to make some steps forward ahead of the race as I struggled a bit today, especially with regards to the front end.

“Tomorrow’s race is going to be a long one and there isn’t a harder option available than the one I used today.

“The tyre choice will be crucial, but I saw some interesting things today on the track and we’ll work based on this and the data we gathered.”

The Thailand Motorcycle Grand Prix is scheduled for 7pm AEDT on Sunday.

Results: Thailand Motorcycle Grand Prix, Sprint