WATCH: Enea Bastianini's silly crash brings early drama in Thai MotoGP Friday Practice

Friday's practice session at the Thai MotoGP took a surprising turn as Ducati's Enea Bastianini crashed out at Turn 3, stirring up early tension on the Buriram circuit. Known for his competitive edge, Bastianini faced an unexpected setback when a minor distraction on track led to a quick slip off his  bike.

In what seemed like a momentary lapse of focus, he ran wide and unknowingly touched the white line, which immediately destabilized his ride and sent him down. Fortunately, the Italian rider emerged unscathed, avoiding any major injury that could have jeopardized his weekend performance.

Here is the video:

💥 @Bestia23 thought he was safe but it caught him out when he wasn't looking! #ThaiGP 🇹🇭 pic.twitter.com/BZs8FBRAUc

— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) October 25, 2024

The session continued, with notable riders consistently pushing the limits of their bikes. Marc Marquez, known for his aggressive style, was quick to top the timesheets with an impressive 1m30.105s lap after 15 minutes on the track, securing his place as the frontrunner.

Following him closely were Francesco Bagnaia, rookie sensation Pedro Acosta, and Jorge Martin. Martin, however, appeared to experience some braking issues, evident when he shook his head in frustration upon entering Turn 1 and later pulled a controlled stoppie on his way into the pit lane.

Acosta is back on track after a huge Australia incident!

Pedro Acosta, despite nursing a shoulder injury from the previous week in Australia, continued to display commendable resilience and briefly claimed the top spot with a time of 1m30.230s, before Marquez reclaimed his lead. Acosta’s performance underscored his determination to compete at the highest level, injury notwithstanding, as he trailed the seasoned Marquez.

The first practice session also saw other riders struggle to find their rhythm. Meanwhile, as riders tested different tyre combinations, the top 10 leaderboard began to solidify. At the session's 15-minute mark, the order saw Marquez at the helm, trailed by Bagnaia, Acosta, Martin, Fabio Quartararo, Bastianini (before his crash), Jack Miller, Brad Binder, Johann Zarco, and Marco Bezzecchi.