Marquez was “playing with us all race” in Thai...

Francesco Bagnaia says Marc Marquez was “enjoying with us” within the Thailand Grand Prix and will have dominated the MotoGP race if he wished to.

New manufacturing unit Ducati signing Marquez claimed victory within the opening spherical of the 2025 MotoGP season, beating brother Alex Marquez and team-mate Bagnaia to the highest spot at Buriram.

Whereas the elder Marquez secured pole place and comfortably led the race early on, he all of the sudden slowed down on lap 7 and dropped to second place, the place he stayed for almost all of the race.

It was solely 4 laps from the end that he repassed his Gresini Ducati-mounted brother at Flip 12, earlier than crossing the end line with a successful margin of 1.7s.

Marquez later revealed that he needed to drop a spot to maintain the tyre temperature above the regulatory window, having seen a major drop whereas working in clear air on the entrance.

Marquez’s tyre stress drama introduced Bagnaia into play, with the two-time MotoGP champion closing inside half a second of the main duo within the closing levels of the race.

However Bagnaia believes Marquez was merely “enjoying” together with his rivals within the Thai GP, citing the Spaniard’s speedy lap instances within the closing three excursions as proof that he had much more tempo in reserve.

“I wasn’t even near stopping them,” Bagnaia stated of the Marquez brothers. “I attempted nevertheless it was like within the cinema. I used to be there behind, I used to be attempting to catch them again.

“I gave my all and I couldn’t be too near Alex to attempt to try [a move].

“Marc was enjoying with us all of the race. Additionally, for his drawback with the [tyre] stress however as quickly as he determined to go, he gave to me like 2.3s [gap] in three laps.

“He was a lot, a lot quicker and I’ve to enhance, study what he’s doing higher and shut this hole, as a result of I do know that the subsequent two race weekends are excellent for each of them, however I should be nearer.”

Bagnaia finally wound up third within the Buriram race, 2.3s behind the successful Ducati of Marc Marquez.

Whereas he felt his outing was a very good train in injury limitation, particularly after dropping the 2024 title attributable to a scarcity of consistency, he stated he would by no means “join third place” in MotoGP.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Staff

Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Photographs

“I am not right here to complete third,” he stated. “I realized from final yr it is at all times vital to take the utmost and to take the right danger. Right this moment I used to be simply attempting to handle the scenario as a result of I used to be risking a bit to complete third.

“I used to be there behind [them] and each time I used to be attempting to shut the hole I used to be having issues with the entrance. It was the utmost I may [do].

“I’ll by no means signal [up] for a 3rd place nevertheless it was the utmost I may. Subsequent time I’ll attempt to be second after which after first. I want to begin work on my set-up on my bike like we did on Saturday and shut the hole from then.”

Images from Thailand GP – Race