Scorching Sprint, fierce duel and a final penalty: Acosta triumphs over Marquez, Bezzecchi throws it all away

Fiery duel between Marquez and Acosta; the KTM rider triumphs after a penalty for the MotoGP champion. Bezzecchi throws it away... Report and results from the Sprint in Buriram.

The first twist is Marco Bezzecchi’s crash after just two laps, but Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta still put on a show in the Buriram Sprint. A red-hot battle, with elbow-to-elbow riding and millimetric passes between the reigning MotoGP champion and KTM’s spearhead, until contact pushes Acosta slightly off track. The second twist is the penalty handed to Marc Marquez for the incident, a drop of one position that clears the way for Pedro Acosta to claim his first MotoGP win! Expect debate: Ducati are already frowning and Tardozzi has made it clear that “We’ve seen plenty of episodes like this!”

While Marc Marquez tries to play it down in the heat of the moment with a “Race Direction has decided”, he’s clearly not happy with the outcome. Worth highlighting is Aprilia’s strong work with Raul Fernandez in 3rd and thus on the podium, and don’t forget the heated head-to-head for P4 between Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura. Razgatlioglu’s first MotoGP race instead ends with an early crash... See you tomorrow for the full-length GP race; in the meantime, here’s how Saturday’s sprint unfolded.

Tyre choice is unanimous: double soft for everyone in the first race of the new world season. It begins with a rocket launch from Marc Marquez, who snatches the lead from poleman Bezzecchi off the line, while further back there’s contact between Alex Marquez and Di Giannantonio—no crashes, but an off-track excursion that complicates both their races. Meanwhile, the #72 Aprilia needs a few corners but doesn’t take long to respond. Nor does #93 yield: he fires straight back and retakes the lead! But a small wide line shortly after opens the door to the pole-sitter from just a few hours earlier. Then comes the incredible twist: Bezzecchi is down on lap two—his race is over! An unbelievable mistake no one expected... Up front remain Marquez and Pedro Acosta, who had been lurking behind the previous sparring pair: with Bezzecchi out, he sets his sights on the reigning champion, with clearly warlike intentions.

They’re followed by the remaining three Aprilia riders, proof of the RS-GP’s competitiveness—indeed, note that in the closing stages Raul Fernandez had closed the gap, exploiting the scorching duel at the front, though not enough to join the fight. Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta, meanwhile, pull no punches: passes, counter-passes, and a clash that sends the KTM rider slightly off track, though he soon tucks back in behind the Ducati ace. But here’s the final twist: the incident is under investigation and the penalty arrives—Marquez must give up one position! Clear track for Acosta; it’s the last lap and there’s no time to recover: victory for the Shark of Mazarron over the reigning MotoGP champion, with third place to Raul Fernandez, bringing some joy to Aprilia after Bezzecchi’s crash.