The elder Marquez thus leaves the opening round having won both the Buriram Sprint and Grand Prix, from pole position꧒, for a perfect 37 points.

After dominating the Sprint from start to💖 finish, Sunday’s 26-lap race, in sweltering 37-degree heat, looked set to be a repeat with Marc Marquez again pulling away from pole…

But just six laps later, Marquez suddenly pulled over on the exit of the hairpin, ♕calmly looking over his shoulder as brother Alex rode past.

A low tyre pressure warning was one theory, with the #93 needing to follow another rider to raise his tyre presꦿsure for the required minimum number of laps.

Marc was straight into Alex’s🐎 slipstream but in ✃no hurry to pass, reinforcing the tyre pressure theory.

The red rider then followed the Gresini machine - with team-mate Francesco Bagnaia, VR46’s Franco Morb🍰idelli and rookie star Ai Ogura in pursuit - for lap after lap.

The eight-time world champion finally launched his race winning pass with j💜ust four laps to go, under braking for the fi🤪nal corner and won by 1.7s.

Alex Marque🏅z had again lost second to Bagnaia at the start but returned to the runner-up spot later on the opening lap before being gifted the lead. Bagnaia remained in third for the rest of the grand prix.

Morbidelli swiftlꦉy overcame his grid penalty, passing Ogura for fourth place within a handful of laps.

Nonetheless, Ogura again kept pace with his experienced rivals to finish fifth, as the only rider in the top seven not on the soft front and medium rear tyres (c🌜hoosing the soft rear).

There wa☂s a big gap to sixth place Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia), followed by the top Honda of Johann Zarco (LCR).

HRC’s𓆉 Joan Mir crashed out of seventh place at mid-distance, with Pedro Acosta another to hit the deck.

Fabio Quartararo and Maverick Vinales also plummeted to the back of the ꦿfield.

Like Morbidelli (12th on grid), home rookie Somkiat Cha🎶ntra (22nd) also had a three-place grid penalty to serve in Sunday's race, for obstructing other riders at the end of Friday practice.

Reigning world champion Jorge Martin wa💟s absent this weekend after suffering further hand injuries in training last week. Martin was repl👍aced by Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori.

Fabio di Giannantonio - also inꦫjur🅷ed on day one of the Sepang test - was back for VR46 but retired from the Saturday Sprint due to extreme heat from his Ducati.

Round two of the season takes pꦓlace at Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina, in two weeks’ ti⛎me.