Thailand MotoGP: Vinales tops FP1, hard crash for Marquez
Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales topped the opening MotoGP practice at Buriram, as champion-elect Marc Marquez suffered a huge crash.
Marquez, who needs to outscore Andrea Dovizioso by two points to seal the title this weekend, was thrown off his Honda at the Turn 7 right-hander on an out-lap late in the session.
The impact with the ground ripped the rear wheel off Marquez's RC213V and left the rider himself needing the better part of a minute to get up off his knees.
He limped off the site of the crash with the aid of track workers, and climbed into the track ambulance, which took him to the medical centre.
After a check-up there, he was taken to the local Buriram Hospital for further examinations.
Marquez had immediately taken over out front at the very start of the session, and was over a second in the clear after the opening salvo of laps.
And while the gap was reduced shortly afterwards, nearest rival Valentino Rossi was still over eight tenths off Marquez's 1m31.187s effort.
As the 45-minute session passed its halfway point, Vinales closed to within half a second of Marquez. Dovizioso then followed Vinales on a flying lap to further reduce the gap to the championship leader.
Soon after Marquez's heavy crash, Petronas Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo - who like Dovizioso had equipped a soft rear tyre - usurped the Honda man by posting a 1m31.170s.
But he was then eclipsed by factory counterpart Vinales at the chequered flag, the Spaniard ending the session two tenths clear courtesy of a 1m30.979s.
Despite the crash, Marquez ended FP1 in third, narrowly ahead of the two Ducatis of Andrea Dovizioso and Jack Miller.
Rossi ended up sixth, one place ahead of Quartararo's Petronas teammate Franco Morbidelli, who made it four Yamahas in the top seven.
Dovizioso's works Ducati teammate Danilo Petrucci was eighth, ahead of the lead Suzuki of Joan Mir and Miller's Pramac squadmate Francesco Bagnaia.
Suzuki's other rider Alex Rins had his bike cut out on the main straight in the closing stages of the session, and was towed back to the paddock. He ended up 11th, ahead of the Espargaro brothers Aleix and Pol.
The latter was the comfortably the fastest KTM rider, despite continuing to nurse the left wrist injury he sustained in a crash at Aragon.
Tech 3 KTM rookie Miguel Oliveira had crashed at the same corner as Marquez at the very start of the session, but rejoined soon and ended up 17th.
Takaaki Nakagami in 14th was the next-best Honda behind Marquez, while the two 2019-spec RC213Vs of Nakagami's LCR teammate Cal Crutchlow and works rider Jorge Lorenzo could only muster 18th and 19th respectively.
Session results:
| Cla | # | Rider | Bike | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 |  Maverick Viñales | Yamaha | 1'30.979 | |
| 2 | 20 |  Fabio Quartararo | Yamaha | 1'31.170 | 0.191 |
| 3 | 93 | Marc Marquez | Honda | 1'31.187 | 0.208 |
| 4 | 4 |  Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 1'31.205 | 0.226 |
| 5 | 43 |  Jack Miller | Ducati | 1'31.227 | 0.248 |
| 6 | 46 | Valentino Rossi | Yamaha | 1'31.482 | 0.503 |
| 7 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | Yamaha | 1'31.569 | 0.590 |
| 8 | 9 | Danilo Petrucci | Ducati | 1'31.593 | 0.614 |
| 9 | 36 | Joan Mir | Suzuki | 1'31.753 | 0.774 |
| 10 | 63 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati | 1'31.799 | 0.820 |
| 11 | 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 1'31.847 | 0.868 |
| 12 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 1'31.865 | 0.886 |
| 13 | 44 | Pol Espargaro | KTM | 1'31.895 | 0.916 |
| 14 | 30 |  Takaaki Nakagami | Honda | 1'31.947 | 0.968 |
| 15 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Aprilia | 1'32.239 | 1.260 |
| 16 | 53 | Tito Rabat | Ducati | 1'32.280 | 1.301 |
| 17 | 88 |  Miguel Oliveira | KTM | 1'32.524 | 1.545 |
| 18 | 35 |  Cal Crutchlow | Honda | 1'32.554 | 1.575 |
| 19 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Honda | 1'32.838 | 1.859 |
| 20 | 82 |  Mika Kallio | KTM | 1'32.877 | 1.898 |
| 21 | 55 |  Hafizh Syahrin | KTM | 1'33.033 | 2.054 |
| 22 | 17 |  Karel Abraham | Ducati | 1'33.129 | 2.150 |
| View full results | |||||
Promoted: Rossi, Marquez fan zones to debut at Phillip Island
Marquez taken to hospital after FP1 crash
How in-form Quartararo is evoking Marquez in MotoGP 2022
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo has seized control of the 2022 MotoGP world standings after another dominant victory as his nearest rivals faltered. And he is very much heading towards a second championship echoing how the dominator of the last decade achieved much of his success.
Why Marquez's surgery is about more than just chasing on-track success
OPINION: Marc Marquez will likely sit out the remainder of the 2022 MotoGP season to undergo a fourth major operation on the right arm he badly broke in 2020. It is hoped it will return him to his brilliant best after a tough start to the season without a podium to his name. But it’s the human victory that will far outweigh any future on-track success he may go on to have
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Motorsport.com, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock of Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. We analyse what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP's Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How praise for Honda's MotoGP bike has given way to doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's win was vital not only for his title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations
The MotoGP rookie fighting two fronts in his debut year
Darryn Binder has found himself in the unenviable position as MotoGP's most under-pressure rookie in 2022 having made the step directly from Moto3 with a reputation as an over-aggressive rider. This hasn't been an easy thing to shake at the start of the season, but he believes tangible progress is being made