Marc Márquez delivered a masterclass at the Balaton Park Circuit on Sunday to win the first Hungarian Grand Prix in 33 years. The Ducati rider secured his seventh straight sprint-race double and stretched his world championship lead to 175 points.
KTM’s Pedro Acosta and Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi joined Márquez on the podium as the defending world champion, Jorge Martín, came fourth – his best finish on the Aprilia since his return from injury.
Against the picturesque backdrop of Lake Balaton, pole-sitter Marquez lost his lead on lap one to drop out of the podium positions but his tyre strategy proved decisive. His younger brother, Álex Márquez (Gresini Racing), second in the overall standings behind his older brother, could only manage 14th place after an early fall.
Having clinched his 13th sprint victory of the season on Saturday, Marc Márquez found another good launch in the main race to lead into turn one. Bezzecchi took the lead on the next turn, though, as Márquez made contact with the Aprilia and lost speed to drop to fourth.
“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,” Márquez said afterwards.
Bezzecchi and second-placed Franco Morbidelli (Ducati) were on soft rear tyres while Márquez was on the medium compound, with the Spaniard easily climbing to second once his tyres were fully warmed up. Acosta also made a smooth overtake on Morbidelli to move up to third but he had a gap of nearly two seconds to Márquez.
The championship leader had virtually erased Bezzecchi’s lead as they constantly exchanged overtakes, before Márquez opted to stay on the Italian’s rear wheel. The inevitable moment came on lap 11 when he pounced, using Bezzecchi’s slipstream to reclaim the lead before streaking away.
“When I saw that the soft rear tyres started to drop, I was with the medium, I started to attack,” Márquez said. “I had a super nice rhythm. I was flowing on the track.” Bezzecchi admitted his team’s strategy did not pay off. “I needed the extra grip in braking so I risked it with the soft. But maybe it was better [to use] the medium.”
Five laps later, Acosta attacked Bezzecchi on the same straight heading into turn one, guiding his KTM down the inside and carrying that momentum into the next turn to take second. Acosta had Márquez in his sights but the six-times champion found another gear towards the end of the race, extending his lead to over three seconds.
Acosta was ultimately happy with second place after destroying his bike in a qualifying crash. “I just want to thank every one of [my team] because yesterday they were working until 2am to just bring two completely new bikes for this [race],” the Spaniard said.
The Aprilia garage were all smiles when Martín, who started 16th on the grid, set a fastest lap before finishing fourth. The 2024 world champion has struggled since a serious crash in Qatar, but this result suggests those struggles may be behind him.
