BURIRAM: Six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez made a dream start to life at factory Ducati when he led from lap one to the chequered flag to win the sprint at the season-opening Thailand Grand Prix on Saturday.

Marc`s younger brother Alex Marquez came in second, twice MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia, Marquez`s new team-mate, finished third.

`It was a perfect Saturday,` the 32-year-old said after only the second sprint victory of his career. `The feeling is great with the bike. Happy to start my new journey with Ducati this way.

`Let`s see if we can minimum be on the podium tomorrow but if wecan we will fight for the victory.

The Buriram International Circuit pole-sitter rocketed off the line as Alex struggled to match his pace, and never looked in danger of losing the top spot in the 13-lap sprint.

`I`m super happy today, this was our maximum target,` Alex said. `Everything depends on the start, and especially Marc he pushed quite hard today. He did a really good start... So I said, okay, I need to wait here, I need to finish the race.

`Super happy, like I said, it was our target so now we need to study a little bit Marc`s lines and all that.

Tomorrow will be a little bit more ready, but [it] will be difficult to really reach Marc.Marc has been fast all week, going quickest in opening practice on Friday before being pipped by brother Alex in the afternoon session.

Marc enjoyed a strong pre-season with the factory Ducati, having joined from Honda, and is strongly fancied to win a first world crown since 2019.

Marquez and Bagnaia have been hailed as a dream team but some observers have cautioned that the high-octane mix of two fast highprofile racers could prove too combustible.

The start of the new MotoGP season has been overshadowed by the absence of world champion Jorge Martin. The Spaniard suffered frac-tures to his right hand and left foot in a horror crash during pre-season testing in Malaysia.

Then his Aprilia team said this week that Martin suffered another mishap in training and had to have more surgery.

Aprilia now say he will miss both Buriram and the next race, in Argentina in mid-March.

Trackhouse`s 24-year-old Japanese rider Ai Ogura had a promising MotoGP debut, making up one place from qualifying to come fourth.

FrancoMorbidelliwasfifth,ahead of Pedro Acosta and Fabio Quartararo.

Australian Jack Miller of Prima Pramac Yamaha crashed out at turn eight, having qualified fourth on the grid.-Agencies