PUIG SCORES POINTS IN THE 2026 MOTOGP SEASON OPENER IN THAILAND

The 2026 MotoGP World Championship kicked off this weekend at the Chang International Circuit with the PT Grand Prix of Thailand, a demanding 26-lap race in which temperatures approached 40°C, pushing both riders and machines to the limit. At the start of the season, Puig joins the team as sponsor of Honda HRC Castrol, strengthening its presence at the top level of world motorcycling.

Saturday: points in the Sprint
In the Sprint race, Joan Mir (#36) crossed the line in seventh place, while Luca Marini (#10) finished tenth in a first taste of the extreme Thai conditions.

Sunday: Marini repeats in the Top 10
Sunday’s main race once again showed how tough the challenge was.
Marini secured another tenth place, scoring important points at the start of the championship, while Mir was forced to retire due to a technical issue while fighting for a solid result.

The Italian rider explained the difficulties of the race:
“I think the race was tough for everyone, not so much because of the temperature and the physical side – that’s what we train for – but because you had to manage everything with the bike to reach the end. After four laps we weren’t able to brake as we wanted, which made the race very long as that is normally our strongest point […]. But it’s a good way to start the year: we learned a lot and we know what we have to do next.”

Next stop: a brand-new challenge in Brazil
The championship will now head to round two at a completely new venue for the entire grid: the Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia – Ayrton Senna, marking the long-awaited return of MotoGP to Brazil and opening a new chapter in this start of the season.