What Hungary MotoGP grid looks like with two penalties
MotoGP

What Hungary MotoGP grid looks like with two penalties

by Valentin Khorounzhiy
3 min read

MotoGP championship leader Marc Marquez stormed to pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the series' new track Balaton Park.

It was the six-time champion's eighth pole of the season and a record-extending 74th in the premier class.

Qualifying is thought to be of extra importance this weekend, with the Balaton Park circuit seen by most riders as offering very few opportunities for overtaking.

Marquez will be joined on the front row by Aprilia's Marco Bezzecchi and VR46 Ducati's Fabio Di Giannantonio, who both made it through Q1, the latter 0.001s away from missing out.

Marquez's team-mate Pecco Bagnaia continued to flounder, suffering his first Q1 exit since 2023, his worst qualifying since 2022 and his worst qualifying in the dry since 2020.

Pecco Bagnaia during qualifying at Balaton Park Circuit

After setting a time on his first run in Q2 that would prove good enough for pole already, Marquez found another tenth and a bit late on to drive home his advantage - ending up on a 1m36.646s.

Behind Bezzecchi and Di Giannantonio, Enea Bastianini (Tech3 KTM), Franco Morbidelli (VR46 Ducati) and Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha) made up row two, Quartararo running as Yamaha's sole representative in Q2.

Pedro Acosta looked poised for a pole challenge after going fastest on Friday, but his pole bid never recovered after he crashed on his first run, his RC16 getting absolutely shredded in the Turn 8 gravel trap.

Acosta rejoined the session on the spare bike but could only place seventh, followed by fellow Friday standout Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini Ducati) and the two works Hondas, Luca Marini ahead of Joan Mir.

Alex Marquez (Gresini Ducati) was only 11th and has a three-place grid penalty hanging over him for Sunday's race, while KTM tester Pol Espargaro crashed out of contention late on to place 12th.

Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi at Balaton Park Circuit

Brad Binder and Jack Miller both mounted strong challenges for a Q2 spot late in Q1, Binder usurping his former team-mate by 0.033s, only to then be foiled himself at the last second.

This was because Di Giannantonio logged an identical time to Binder's, and placed ahead by virtue of a better second-best lap than Binder's.

Bagnaia set no valid time on his first run but did move up to second place after swapping the rear tyre - before being relegated by Di Giannantonio, Binder and Miller (though the Miller and Marquez penalties will move him up on the Sunday grid).

Reigning champion Jorge Martin had been close to team-mate Bezzecchi on Friday but only qualified 17th here (16th for Sunday thanks to Miller's penalty), six tenths back from Bezzecchi but ahead of LCR Honda's Johann Zarco, who in 18th continued to be a distant 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

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