Bagnaia, in difficulty, is satisfied with a first podium

The #63 had to go through Q1 this Saturday morning in Thailand, after being hindered by Franco Morbidelli during his last attempt in testing on Friday. Finally present on the front row of the grid, the Italian was in a perfect position to try to get between the two Márquez brothers, who were starting in front of him. Which he managed to do in the first corner, but by the end of the following long straight, he was back in his original third position.

🚥 Lights out in the #TissotSprint (I.e. @marcmarquez93 leads the way! #ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/uxssvnzQeC

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) March 1, 2025

After holding the pace for a few laps, Bagnaia had to admit defeat and let the Spanish duo slip away, while Ai Ogura was eyeing the third step of the podium with his Aprilia from the Trackhouse team. When the checkered flag fell, Bagnaia held on to third place, which may seem disappointing on paper given Marc Márquez's recital on the same bike, but which is a sense of satisfaction given the difficulties of the double 2022-2023 world champion on this track.

"There is still work to be done"

"It's great to be on the podium because after yesterday and the winter tests, I have to be happy", explained Francesco Bagnaia to the MotoGP microphone after the arrival. “There is still work to do because I had the same sensations as in the Sprint last year. I had a lot of difficulty entering the corner, but we will work to improve that. It is only the first race, so it is okay for now. I tried to attack at the beginning of the race but when I saw that it was too risky, I slowed down the pace. Third is always a good result.”

Sunday, the protégé of Valentino Rossi will try to grab a new podium, or even challenge the supremacy of the Márquez brothers after making new adjustments to his Ducati Desmosedici GP25.

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