Gresini’s Alex Marquez believes Ducati riders will have a hard time overtaking in a straight line during the MotoGP Thai Grand Prix because some of its rivals “are quite similar”.

Ducati has long held a top speed advantage over some of its MotoGP rivals, with the GP26 looking strong once again in this area coming into the new season.

On day one of the Buriram test, Pecco Bagnaia was clocked at 342km/h, with a new ride height device seemingly helping the Desmosedici’s gain speed on straights.

The Buriram track, scene of the 2026 season-opener, is characterised by its power-heavy first sector.

But Alex Marquez, based on what he saw on track during the test, is wary about the power Ducati’s rivals have at their disposal at the start of this year.

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“Yeah, but you need like more than 2km/h to overtake cleanly,” he said when it was mentioned that the GP26 looked quick on the straights.

“So, it’s not easy and here I was behind some Aprilias, also some Hondas. They are quite similar.

“So, it will not be easy to overtake on this track.”

On the final day of the test, Aprilia nearly touched 340km/h through the speed traps, while the fastest Honda was clocked at 338km/h.

Testing “makes sense” for Alex Marquez now he has factory machinery

This pre-season phase has been busier for Gresini’s Alex Marquez, who has factory Ducati machinery for the first time.

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The 2025 championship runner-up didn’t view his added work as anything other than having “opportunities” to improve his bike during a season, while noting that his programmes “made sense” compared to previous years.

“It’s not just the responsibility for me, it’s more the opportunities,” he added.

“Last year there were zero opportunities. This year you have many opportunities to make your package better and better.

“It’s also something you need to take care of a little bit, to not lose the way, or to not confuse all of the team and yourself.

“But it’s something that on the test I do work, and it makes sense.

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“It’s not like the past, there was nothing to try, and we were quite bored on the box.

“We were just making laps. Now it makes more sense to test and have things; it’s interesting.”

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