Alex Marquez started his year with a second place in the Thai Sprint Race.

The Thai Grand Prix Sprint Race was dominated by the Marquez brothers on Saturday as Marc Marquez took victory and Alex Marquez finished second.

There was no head-on-head duel between the brothers as it only took five corners for Alex to realise that Marc was 'too fast'.

Alex Marquez's focus shifted from winning to maintaining his gap to Francesco Bagnaia in third.

“The key of every Sprint, but especially when it’s hot, is the start and the first laps,” Marquez said after the Sprint.

“I was able to make a good start but then Pecco [Francesco Bagnaia] attacked me, but in turn one I had a really good drive. I said ‘Okay, wait, relax, and try to make a good move there,’ and I did it.

“From corner five I realised that Marc [Marquez] was a little bit too fast for us, so I just tried to go with him [for as long as I could].

“I was close, I was five tenths, four tenths [behind] for many laps, I was making a good rhythm; but later on, being there, you start to have problems with the front tyre and I just see the gap that I had with Pecco and I just tried to manage the gap that I had to the end to not make any mistakes.

“I did a small mistake in turn four that I went on the blue, but I came back, so just that. But for the rest it was a standard race for us.”

Marquez went on to claim second was the best he could have done on Saturday. However, he expects more of a fight from Bagnaia in Sunday's Grand Prix.

“I think today our maximum was to be second, so I think tomorrow our maximum is the same,” he said.

“But I know that Pecco is really strong in the long races and we know it from last year. I think he has something more than us in the long race, maybe [only] one tenth but he has something more.

“So, it will be interesting to see and learn something from them that they are pushing so hard to the limit and try to be there and try to be on the podium.”