Marc Marquez clinched victory at the Balaton Park Circuit during the Grand Prix of Hungary, showcasing his remarkable racing skills.
Race Overview
[IMAGE0CONTEXT:bmw_unknown] Marquez had to battle back from a sluggish start, but once he regained the lead, he remained unchallenged. KTM rider Pedro Acosta finished as the runner-up after starting seventh on the grid, demonstrating a composed performance aboard his RC16. Marco Bezzecchi led early in the race but ultimately slipped to third, just ahead of his determined Aprilia teammate Jorge Martin, who made an impressive climb from 16th on the grid to finish fourth on the RS-GP25. This victory brings Marquez closer to the championship title, which he could secure as early as the Misano race, with six rounds remaining. His main title rival, Alex Marquez, faced misfortune, crashing and finishing 14th for Gresini. Remarkably, this marks the seventh consecutive MotoGP weekend where Marquez has triumphed in both Saturday’s sprint and Sunday’s grand prix.
Pre-Race Drama
There was significant pre-race drama for Fabio Di Giannantonio, who started in third place but was forced to begin from the pit lane due to an issue with his Ducati Desmosedici GP25. From pole position, Marc Marquez got a great start into the first corner but was immediately challenged by Marco Bezzecchi. The Aprilia rider managed to overtake the leading Ducati at Turn 1 and effectively closed the door on Marquez, who attempted to sneak through at Turn 2 but ended up making contact. “On that first corner, when I saw that Marco was inside, I released the brakes and went wide because I didn’t want to have any issue on that first corner,” Marquez explained. “But then on the second one, I expected that he would have more corner speed and in fact, he kept first gear, and I touched him. Luckily, for both of us, I was able to save the crash, and he just continued his way. But from that point, the race changed a bit. I had a super nice rhythm, super happy.”
Race Highlights
Marquez briefly fell to fourth place behind VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli and Honda’s Luca Marini, but he quickly regained his position. Meanwhile, Tech3 rider Enea Bastianini crashed out of the race at the Turn 8 and Turn 9 chicane, narrowly avoiding a more serious incident. Gresini’s Alex Marquez also exited early, falling at Turn 1 from 13th place, with his teammate, Fermin Aldeguer, dropping his bike at the same spot later on. Aprilia satellite rider Raul Fernandez crashed his Trackhouse bike, and Honda’s Joan Mir fell just moments later in sympathy.
Marquez wasted no time in overtaking Morbidelli on Lap 4. The gap to Bezzecchi was one second, and after passing Morbidelli, Marquez closed in on the leader, reducing the gap by half a second on the following lap. Jack Miller crashed at Turn 1 while running 11th but managed to remount his Yamaha YZR-M1. Unfortunately, he crashed again within the final 10 laps, ending his race.
Pedro Acosta, quietly making his way up the ranks, soon had Morbidelli in his sights for third place, successfully taking the position. At the front, Marquez engaged in a battle with Bezzecchi for the lead, attempting a pass at Turn 1, but going too deep. After a brief tussle, Marquez found a good run out of the final turn and reclaimed the lead into Turn 1 on Lap 11 with a decisive block pass.
Final Laps
With just 10 laps remaining, Acosta overtook Bezzecchi for second place at Turn 1, but Marquez had already established a 2.7-second lead. Acosta showed no signs of threatening Marquez’s position, as the gap widened to three seconds with six laps to go, while Bezzecchi maintained third place. Late in the race, Johann Zarco crashed his Honda, adding to the drama. Behind Marquez, Acosta, Bezzecchi, and Martin were followed by Marini, Morbidelli, Brad Binder, Pol Espargaro, Francesco Bagnaia, and Fabio Quartararo.
MotoGP will continue with the Grand Prix of Catalonia at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from September 5-7.
Results: MotoGP Grand Prix of Hungary, Balaton Park Circuit
| Pos | Num | Rider | Team | Bike | Laps/Diff |
|—–|—–|———————|——————————|———|—————|
| 1 | 93 | Marc Marquez | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 26 laps |
| 2 | 37 | Pedro Acosta | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 4.314 |
| 3 | 72 | Marco Bezzecchi | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 7.488 |
| 4 | 1 | Jorge Martin | Aprilia Racing | Aprilia | 11.069 |
| 5 | 10 | Luca Marini | Honda HRC Castrol | Honda | 11.904 |
| 6 | 21 | Franco Morbidelli | Pertamina Enduro VR46 | Ducati | 12.608 |
| 7 | 33 | Brad Binder | Red Bull KTM Factory Racing | KTM | 12.902 |
| 8 | 44 | Pol Espargaro | Red Bull KTM Tech3 | KTM | 14.015 |
| 9 | 63 | Francesco Bagnaia | Ducati Lenovo Team | Ducati | 14.