Headlines
MotoGP: Marc Marquez outpaces Diggia and Morbidelli
MotoGP: Marc Marquez outpaces Diggia and Morbidelli as drama hits early at Balaton
Headlines
MotoGP: Marc Marquez outpaces Diggia and Morbidelli as drama hits early at Balaton.
Drama off the start, a Marquez masterclass, and bad luck for some key rivals: Saturday sets the headlines in Hungary.
For the 13th time in 14 rounds, Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) is a Tissot Sprint winner after avoiding a dose of Turn 1 drama to continue his magnificent victory streak in 2025. Fabio Di Giannantonio took P2, two seconds away from Marquez, and joining the Italian on the Saturday rostrum was Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing teammate Franco Morbidelli.
TURN 1 DRAMA
Marc Marquez got a lovely launch from pole position and led into Turn 1, but Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), from P6 on the grid, got it properly wrong in the braking zone on the inside line. The Frenchman was too late on the anchors and collided with Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3), who managed to stay on the bike, but Quartararo didn’t. The incident cost Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) time too, which dropped the Italian to the lower ends of the top 10, while an unlucky Bastianini was P18.
ANOTHER LAP 1 TALKING POINT
Then, there was another incident. This time at Turn 9 and it again involved Bastianini. This time, the ‘Beast’ was at fault as an audacious move on Johann Zarco (CASTROL Honda LCR) failed, leaving both down and out of the Tissot Sprint on Lap 1.
Post race, both Quartararo and Bastianini were handed penalties for the above points. The #20 has one Long Lap penalty because that’s his first offence, while the #23 has a double Long Lap penalty because it’s a second offence.
MARC LEADS, ACOSTA CRASHES
So where did that leave us? Marc Marquez led from the VR46 duo, with Di Giannantonio the lead rider in the yellow corner. On Lap 5, the Italian was 1.1s away from the #93, with Morbidelli over a second down on his teammate. Fourth was Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol), while Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) sat half a second behind the HRC star, and just under a second clear of the second factory HRC rider Joan Mir.
On Lap 6 of 13, Pedro Acosta’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) Sprint then ended with a small crash at Turn 11 while he was attempting to pass Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) in a battle for P10. That signalled a disappointing Saturday for Friday’s pacesetter in Hungary.
For the remainder of the Sprint, Marc Marquez remained untroubled to continue his unbeaten run, as Di Giannantonio kept teammate Morbidelli at bay as the VR46 duo collected silver and bronze medals at Balaton Park.
BALATON’S SPRINT POINTS SCORERS
From P9 on the grid, Marini defended and rode brilliantly to keep Aldeguer behind him to earn his best HRC Sprint result in P4, as the latter just about held onto P5 ahead of Mir and the recovering Bezzecchi. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) was eighth across the line as he gets set to face a three-place grid penalty in tomorrow’s Grand Prix, and the last point on offer on Saturday went to reigning World Champion Martin in P9.
Another one pocketed. Marc Marquez marches on, as a dramatic Tissot Sprint unfolds in Hungary. 26 laps are coming up at Balaton on Sunday afternoon, and the question is: can anyone stop the title race leader from winning again?
Quartararo and Bastianini penalised for Sprint incidents
At the start of the first ever Tissot Sprint in Hungary, Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) was in the thick of a multiple rider incident that saw Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) suffer contact and a number of other riders forced into avoiding action.
Quartararo was deemed to have caused “a dangerous situation and contact involving rider #23” – and for that the Frenchman has been handed a Long Lap penalty.
Unfortunately for Bastianini, he then made his own Saturday afternoon even worse. After suffering that contact from Quartararo and dropping down the order, the #23 was involved in a second incident – this time with Johann Zarco (LCR Honda Castrol). For that, it’s Bastianini who’s been penalised – and after having previously done similar this season, it’s a second offence. And that means it’s two Long Laps.
So on Sunday, Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Racing MotoGP) drop three grid positions for their Friday afternoon shenanigans, Quartararo has one Long Lap, and Bastianini will have two.
For more MotoGP info check out our dedicated MotoGP News page
Or visit the official MotoGP website www.motogp.com
©Words/Images are from an official press release posted courtesy of www.motogp.com
Amazon.co.uk
Modern Classic Motorcycle News
Amazon.co.uk
£519.00
PRIMEPRIME
Insta360 X4 Motorcycle Bundle - 8K Waterproof 360 Action Camera, 4K Wide-Angle Video, Invisible Selfie Stick, Removable Lens Guards, 135 Min Battery Life, AI...
Amazon.co.uk
£387.99
PRIMEPRIME
DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Motorcycling/Mountain Cycling Combo, Action Camera 4K for Riders, 1/1.3" Sensor, 155º FOV, 4hrs Battery, Sports Data Recording, Chest...
-5%
Amazon.co.uk
£56.99 £59.99
PRIMEPRIME
Quad Lock Motorcycle Handlebar Mount PRO for for iPhone, Galaxy, Pixel and Universal Adapters
-11%
Amazon.co.uk
£141.49 £159.99
PRIMEPRIME
Oxford Beast Lock Padlock. Motorcycle Diamond Sold Secure. LK120, Black
-6%
Amazon.co.uk
£229.99 £244.99
Oxford Beast 22mm chain x 2.0mtr. High Security Heavy Duty Motorbike Chain. Sold Secure Diamond. LK127
* Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission (at no cost to you) if you click on the link and make a purchase. Any money made goes straight back into the website and magazine. Your support is appreciated!
Keep Up to Date with the Most Important News
