Headlines
MotoGP: Marquez escapes Acosta and Bezzecchi to extend unbeaten run
MotoGP: The #93 delivers another double as KTM and Aprilia taste podium success in Hungary, while Martin earns season-best result in P4.
Headlines
MotoGP: The #93 delivers another double as KTM and Aprilia taste podium success in Hungary, while Martin earns season-best result in P4.
He was made to work for it in the opening half of the Grand Prix, but in the end, Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) pulled out a seventh consecutive victory to continue his majestic 2025 unbeaten run at the Michelin Grand Prix of Hungary. 4.3s was the #93’s winning margin over second place Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), as early Grand Prix leader Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) collected P3 behind the Ducati and KTM stars.
DIGGIA INTO PITLANE, CONTACT BETWEEN BEZ AND MARC
Before we had lights out, Fabio Di Giannantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) was forced to start from pitlane after the Italian suffered a technical issue, meaning P3 on the grid and the Tissot Sprint silver medallist was out of victory contention.
There was drama aplenty on the opening lap too as Marc Marquez and Bezzecchi made contact at Turn 2 after the title race leader ran wide at Turn 1. It was the Italian that led from compatriot Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), with Marquez slotting into P3. Then, Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3) slid out at Turn 12 from P4, before Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) crashed on the opening lap too. The #73 remounted but he was P19 and eight seconds away from Alex Rins (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) at the rear of the field.
MARC VS BEZ LIGHTS UP BALATON
The Grand Prix then settled, for a while at least. Bezzecchi led Morbidelli by 0.8s at the end of Lap 3, with Marquez 0.2s behind the VR46 Ducati. Acosta had made a good start too, and the #37 was in P4, 0.8s away from the rear wheel of Marquez.
Two more riders then crashed in the early stages as both Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) hit the deck at Turn 5 in separate incidents, as Bezzecchi stretched his legs at the front. But Marquez, at Turn 9, carved his way through on Morbidelli to climb into P2, with the gap at 0.7s at the end of Lap 5.
With open Hungarian asphalt ahead of him, Marquez was able to set consecutive fastest laps of the Grand Prix to reel in Bezzecchi. 1.5s in arrears, Acosta forced his way past Morbidelli to climb into P3 and then Marquez hit the engage battle button at Turn 1 on Lap 8.
That didn’t work though, and neither did a similar attempt at Turn 5. Marquez was eager to get ahead of the Italian here but there was no way through for now. On Lap 11, Marquez pounced again at Turn 1 and this time around, it was a pass that stuck. Now then Marco, what was your response? At this stage, not a lot because Marquez set a 1:38.343, Bezzecchi was in the 1:39s, and the lead grew to 1.1s.
THE LEAD GROWS AS ACOSTA POUNCES
That soon became 1.4s and the more pressing matter for Bezzecchi was Acosta. Meanwhile, Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) crashed at Turn 1 while he was putting Morbidelli under pressure in P5, which promoted Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), who was on a roll steaming through the field, into fifth.
A change for P2 arrived on Lap 16, and it was a move that started three corners earlier when Bezzecchi ran slightly wide at Turn 15. That cost him the drive all the way up the start/finish straight and Acosta, strong on the anchors, picked up the P2 baton. The gap to Marquez? 2.7s.
And that’s a gap that wouldn’t shrink with Marquez controlling the situation at the front. A 1:37.843, compared to Acosta’s 1:38.258, was the knockout blow and with Acosta 2.2s clear of Bezzecchi, it looked like the podium scraps were done with. However, Martin wasn’t done. The #1 demoted Morbidelli to P5 and now, the 2024 King of MotoGP sat 2.6s behind his teammate Bezzecchi.
In the end, Marquez was simply untouchable at Balaton. The 22nd different track the #93 has claimed victory at, and one that sees his dominant march towards a seventh MotoGP title continue. Seven consecutive double wins, a 175-point lead and another pretty much perfect weekend.
Acosta will rue a tricky qualifying but P2 is his second podium in the last three races, and Bezzecchi’s classy run of form continues – that’s four podiums in the last five Grands Prix, and the Italian is hunting Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) for P3 in the standings, as the #63 had a tougher one.
YOUR POINTS SCORERS IN HUNGARY
Chapeau to Martin in P4. That’s the reigning Champion’s best Aprilia result and he did it from P16 on the grid too. What a boost that is for Martin and his side of the box, and the same can be said for Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) as the Italian gets the better of Morbidelli – who had to drop one position for cutting the chicane at Turn 9 – in the closing stages to hand himself and HRC a double top five at Balaton.
Morbidelli was P6, with Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech3) handing KTM a triple top seven. The latter enjoyed a good fight with Bagnaia and following a mistake on the last lap, the #63 lost a position to the #44 to collect P9 in Hungary.
Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) rounded out the top 10 after the Frenchman had to take a Long Lap penalty for his Tissot Sprint mistake. 11th went to Ai Ogura (Trackhouse MotoGP Team), 12th was Miguel Oliveira (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP), while Rins, Alex Marquez and Di Giannantonio completed the points on a Sunday to forget for the latter duo.
The run continues. MM93 has one hand and four fingers on the trophy and next up, a return to familiar and home territory. What does Barcelona have in store? We’ll find out in less than two weeks.
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
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