At the 2026 Thai Grand Prix, Marc Márquez had a very unlucky moment that ended his race early. He was riding for Ducati in the opening round of the MotoGP season at Buriram in Thailand.

During the race, Márquez was fighting for a strong position and looked competitive. On lap 21, he ran slightly wide at Turn 4 and rode over the edge of a kerb. Soon after that, his rear tyre suddenly lost air pressure and he was forced to retire from the race.

Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi later explained that the problem was caused by damage to the rear wheel rim. When the bike hit the kerb, the rim was badly bent and this caused the tyre to deflate very quickly. Tardozzi even described it as the rim having “exploded”, meaning the damage was sudden and severe.

The official tyre supplier Michelin said the kerbs at the circuit are quite aggressive and the hot track conditions may also have played a part. Other riders had small wheel damage during the weekend, but none had a failure as serious as Márquez’s.

Márquez said he had used the same kerb many times in practice without any trouble, so he did not expect such a failure in the race. He called the incident unlucky and said he felt strong enough to fight for a good result.

Fortunately, he managed to stay on the bike and avoided a crash, but it was still a disappointing end to what could have been a promising race.