Marc Marquez still sits atop MotoGP as the championship leader after storming to pole for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the fresh Balaton Park circuit. It was the six-time champion’s eighth pole of the season and his 74th in the premier class, extending his own record in the category.
With the Balaton Park layout being eyed as offering limited overtaking opportunities, qualifying took on extra importance as riders chased every advantage. Marquez will line up on the front row alongside Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio, both of whom progressed from Q1, with Di Giannantonio just metres away from missing out on Q2 in the closing moments.
Pecco Bagnaia endured a tougher session, failing to make it out of Q1 for the first time since 2023 and delivering his worst dry-qualifying result since 2020. Marquez initially set a time in Q2 on his first run that would have secured pole, but he found more pace in the final minutes to stretch the gap to 1:36.646.
Following the championship leader, Bezzecchi and Di Giannantonio locked out the front row. Behind them, Enea Bastianini (Tech3 KTM), Franco Morbidelli (VR46 Ducati) and Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) completed the second row, with Quartararo the lone Yamaha rider to make it into Q2.
Pedro Acosta had been quickest on Friday but saw his bid for a pole falter after crashing on his first Q2 run, his RC16 shredded in Turn 8’s gravel. He rejoined on the spare bike but could only manage seventh, while fellow Friday standout Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati) and the two works Hondas, including a recovering Marini, filled the next places ahead of Joan Mir.
Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) ended 11th but carries a three-place grid penalty for Sunday, and Pol Espargaro crashed out late in the session, leaving him 12th. Brad Binder and Jack Miller gave themselves late hopes of qualifying in Q2, with Binder briefly ahead of his former team-mate before the late mix-up left him just short; Di Giannantonio’s identical time to Binder’s ultimately gave him the advantage on the second-best lap.
Bagnaia’s session was notable for a late surge: he initially didn’t set a valid time on his first run but climbed to second after a rear-tire swap—only to be overtaken by Di Giannantonio, Binder and Miller. The Miller and Marquez penalties, however, will elevate Bagnaia on Sunday’s grid.
Jorge Martin had been in close contention with Bezzecchi on Friday but ended up 17th in qualifying, which translates to 16th on Sunday thanks to Miller’s penalty. Zarco, riding for LCR Honda, placed 18th, the third-fastest of the three Hondas this weekend.
Provisional Hungarian GP grid
1 M Marquez 2 Bezzecchi 3 Di Giannantonio
4 Bastianini 5 Morbidelli 6 Quartararo
7 Acosta 8 Aldeguer 9 Marini
10 Mir 11 Espargaro 12 Binder
13 Bagnaia 14 A Marquez 15 Fernandez
16 Martin 17 Miller 18 Zarco
19 Oliveira 20 Rins 21 Ogura
Provisional Hungarian GP sprint grid
1 M Marquez 2 Bezzecchi 3 Di Giannantonio
4 Bastianini 5 Morbidelli 6 Quartararo
7 Acosta 8 Aldeguer 9 Marini
10 Mir 11 A Marquez 12 Espargaro
13 Binder 14 Miller 15 Bagnaia
16 Fernandez 17 Martin 18 Zarco
19 Oliveira 20 Rins 21 Ogura
What this means for the race
– Marquez’s pace confirms he’s a strong favorite on a track where qualifying can heavily influence the race due to limited overtaking.
– Ducati-powered bikes continue to show depth with Bezzecchi and Di Giannantonio on the front row, while Bagnaia will hope the Sunday strategy and pace can mount a recovery from his Q1 exit.
– Acosta’s crash underlines the risk at a new circuit where one mistake can compromise a pole bid; his ability to rebound on the spare bike will be watched closely.
– With the potential grid shifts from penalties, Sunday’s race could feature a few surprises in the lower-mid part of the top 10.
Summary
Marc Marquez took pole for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the new Balaton Park track, as Bezzecchi and Di Giannantonio joined him on the front row. Bagnaia had a tough qualifying, while Acosta crashed but rejoined on the spare bike to finish inside the top 10. The grids for Sunday and the sprint are shaping up to be tightly contested on a circuit expected to prize one-lap speed and straight-line speed.
Outlook
This sets up an exciting weekend with a potentially strategic, surfacefully pacy race on a track where overtaking is challenging. Marquez’s early season form and Bezzecchi/Di Giannantonio’s strong pace suggest Ducati remains a dominant force, while Yamaha and the rest will be pushing to turn qualifying performance into race results. If you’re looking for a positive note, the early-season pace at Balaton Park bodes well for high-stakes racing as the season progresses.