Franco Morbidelli edged Marc Marquez to claim the top spot in 2025 Thai MotoGP FP3.
The final practice held at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram marked a huge moment for the Italian rider, who has faced challenges in recent seasons but appears to have started his new campaign with renewed vigor.
Riding for Pertamina VR46 Ducati, Franco Morbidelli demonstrated exceptional pace during 2025 Thai MotoGP FP3, utilizing a fresh set of soft tires to edge out rivalss and set the fastest lap time of 1’29.629.
However, his success was tempered by a three-place grid penalty he received for obstructing Francesco Bagnaia during Friday’s practice session, an incident that added drama to an already intense weekend.
Ducati Lenovo’s Marc Marquez showcased his championship pedigree by finishing second in the session, just 0.070 seconds behind Morbidelli.
Marquez’s performance was particularly impressive as he relied on older soft tires for much of the session, underlining his consistency and ability to extract maximum performance from his machine.
His teammate, Francesco Bagnaia, secured third place with a time 0.338 seconds off Morbidelli’s pace. Bagnaia’s strategy involved a combination of hard front and soft rear tires suggesting a focus on race setup rather than outright speed during practice.
Rookie Fermin Aldeguer continued to impress in his debut MotoGP season, securing fourth place on the Gresini Ducati with a late push on fresh rubber.
The young Spaniard demonstrated maturity beyond his years, adapting quickly to the premier class and showing promise for the races ahead. His teammate Alex Marquez rounded out the top five, further solidifying Gresini Ducati’s strong showing during 2025 Thai MotoGP FP3.
Japanese rider Ai Ogura made waves by finishing sixth on the Trackhouse Aprilia RS-GP25. Ogura’s performance highlighted his potential as a rookie as he consistently challenged more experienced riders throughout the session.
Johann Zarco followed closely in seventh place for Castrol Honda LCR while Fabio Di Giannantonio returned from injury to secure eighth for Pertamina VR46 Ducati.
Local hero Somkiat Chantra provided a moment of pride for Thai fans by finishing ninth on his Idemitsu Honda LCR machine. Despite facing a three-place grid penalty for impeding Alex Marquez on Friday, Chantra’s pace demonstrated his ability to compete with MotoGP’s best.
Fabio Quartararo rounded out the top ten on his Monster Yamaha YZR-M1, continuing to show resilience despite Yamaha’s ongoing struggles with performance.
The 2025 Thai MotoGP FP3 session also saw notable performances from Joan Mir and Luca Marini, who finished 11th and 13th respectively on their Honda HRC Castrol machines.
Red Bull KTM’s Pedro Acosta claimed 14th place as he battled scorching track temperatures that reached up to 38 degrees Celsius during final practice. Marco Bezzecchi placed 15th for Aprilia Racing after experimenting with setup changes aimed at improving race pace.
Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira struggled slightly on their Pramac Yamaha machines, finishing 16th and 17th respectively. Both riders appeared to focus more on long-run consistency rather than outright lap times.
Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini had a silent session finishing 18th and 19th for Red Bull KTM and KTM Tech3 respectively, with Binder clocking impressive top speeds but falling short in sector times.
Maverick Viñales endured a challenging session on his KTM Tech3 machine, finishing 20th as he worked through setup issues that hampered his ability to push harder. Yamaha’s Alex Rins faced similar struggles, ending up in 21st place after encountering technical difficulties that limited his track time.
At the back of the field was Lorenzo Savadori, filling in for injured reigning world champion Jorge Martin at Aprilia Factory Racing. Savadori’s focus appeared to be on gathering data rather than competing for lap times as he adjusted to the demands of MotoGP racing.
2025 Thai MotoGP FP3 Results
