Buriram MotoGP statistics: Marc Marquez chasing his 100th victory – Ducati with 88 consecutive podium finishes – Close races are a hallmark of the Thai circuit
The Thai Grand Prix celebrates its seventh edition at the Buriram International Circuit this year, and for the second time it marks the start of the MotoGP World Championship. Since its debut in 2018, the track has established itself as a fixture on the calendar.
The March 1 start date marks the second-earliest start to a season in the history of the Motorcycle World Championship. The only earlier start was in the 1964 season, when the US Grand Prix took place in Daytona on February 2. Thailand is the 17th nation to host a season-opening race and is one of eight Asian countries that have already hosted MotoGP races, including Japan with 25 events in Motegi and Malaysia with 24 in Sepang.
In the six races held in Buriram so far, the current riders have dominated the winners’ field: Marc Marquez leads with three victories (2018, 2019, 2025), followed by Francesco Bagnaia (2024) and Jorge Martin (2023).
Only once has a rider who did not qualify for the front row triumphed in Buriram: Miguel Oliveira in 2022. In the sprint format, which was added in 2023, Martin (2023), Enea Bastianini (2024), and Marc Marquez (2025) secured victory.
The manufacturer statistics underscore this dominance: Ducati has recorded three GP victories, all from pole position, while Honda has celebrated two wins and KTM one with Oliveira’s rain victory. Yamaha has reached the podium three times, while Aprilia’s best result was fifth place with Ai Ogura in 2025.
Should Marc Marquez win Sunday’s Grand Prix, it would mark his 100th victory in all classes, making him one of only three riders to reach this milestone. The record holder is Giacomo Agostini (122 wins), followed by Valentino Rossi (115).
Ducati could also extend its podium streak to 89 races, the current record. Six riders are waiting for their first MotoGP victory: Pedro Acosta, Luca Marini, Ai Ogura, rookies Diogo Moreira and Toprak Razgatlioglu, and substitute Michele Pirro.
Buriram has been the scene of several particularly close decisions. A gap of 0.253 seconds between Martin and Bagnaia in 2023 was the fourth closest race finish in MotoGP history. Since 2001, six riders who went on to become world champions at the end of the season failed to finish on the GP podium in the opening race of the year: 2008 (Rossi), 2015 (Lorenzo), 2017 (Marquez), 2020 (Mir), 2021 (Quartararo), and 2022 (Bagnaia). Of these, only Mir and Bagnaia missed the top 5, as both crashed:
Mir at the 2020 Spanish Grand Prix and Bagnaia in Qatar in 2022.
In 2026, a maximum of 814 World Championship points can be collected: 550 on Sunday and 264 on Saturday. This means that 32.4 percent of the points will be awarded in sprints.
