Two-time WorldSBK champion Alvaro Bautista has agreed to join Barni Spark Racing for the 2026 campaign.

The Spaniard will leave the factory Ducati outfit for a second time after it decided to replace him with fellow countryman Iker Lecuona.

Bautista’s future in WorldSBK had been uncertain since Ducati chose not to exercise the second year of his 1+1 contract.

After reported talks with six-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea fell through, Barni Spark presented a deal with the 40-year-old.

Bautista’s extensive knowledge of the Panigale is believed to have made him an attractive option ahead of the debut of Ducati’s new V4R model in 2026.

He will replace Italian rider Danilo Petrucci, who agreed to join BMW on a one-year deal earlier this year.

 “I want to thank Barni for the trust and interest he has shown in me,” Bautista shared.

“Right after the announcement that I would be free for the 2026 season, he contacted me without hesitation and that means a lot to me.

“I’m happy to remain in the Ducati family, where I have already achieved success and I believe that together with Barni we can reach great results.

“The team is constantly growing season after season, and this agreement represents another step forward.

“It will take commitment since I’ll be working with new people, but I’m confident because I see in Barni great motivation and a strong competitive spirit. I want to prove that I can still win.

“The last two years have not been easy due to the new regulations, but now with the new Panigale V4 and Ducati’s support, we’ll have everything we need to be competitive.

“The goal is to reach our maximum potential and from there aim even higher.”

Barni Spark Racing Team Principal Marco Barnabo stated: “We are proud to welcome Alvaro to our team for the upcoming season.

“For a private team, having a three-time World Champion is a source of great satisfaction and proves the solid credibility and stature of our team.

“Important challenges await us, but that’s exactly what drives us to constantly improve.

“Alvaro is still proving his worth today, and we are certain he can give us a fundamental contribution to continue growing.”

READ MORE – Six-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea announces retirement after the 2025 season

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Marc Marquez admits “it’s not normal to win every weekend” after his 2025 dominance continued at the Hungarian MotoGP round.

The Spanish rider took one step closer to a ninth world title as he sealed a seventh double of the season at the new Balaton Park circuit, taking victory by over four seconds at the flag.

Despite falling behind Marco Bezzecchi at the start, Marquez revealed he was “comfortable” throughout Sunday’s Grand Prix as he made the race-winning move on Lap 11. 

However, the Spanish rider also admitted his achievement of winning at 13 of the 14 rounds this campaign was “not normal.”

“I cannot lie, today was comfortable,” Marquez told MotoGP.com after Sunday’s race.

“I was riding in a very good way. It’s true that everything that happened as we’ve seen in the first two corners, but after that I got momentum. 

“I just cooled down and just tried to warm my rear tyre because I was with the medium and from that point, just to build the race and as soon as I led the race, the pace was good. 

“I was fluid on the track, I was on the good lines so today was a very good day, but it’s not normal. It’s not normal to win every weekend, it’s not normal to win every Sprint race, it looks like [it] but it’s not. 

“There will arrive a day when somebody will be faster than us in a Sprint or a main race but it’s better to score a second position or third position, points for the championship.”

Marc Marquez: ‘My mistake’ to cause Turn 2 collision with Marco Bezzecchi

Despite feeling comfortable throughout the Hungarian GP, Marquez had a “scary moment” on the opening lap of the race with Bezzecchi. 

The Spanish rider made contact with the Aprilia rider at Turn 2 after relinquishing the lead of the race, but accepted full responsibility as the rider behind in the incident. 

“We arrive at the first corner, I braked late and I was able to stop the bike well,” Marquez told of the incident. 

“But then I was thinking ‘ok I’ll just release the brakes’ because I didn’t know how much control Bezzecchi and maybe another guy inside had. 

“I released the brakes and I turned late, I knew I would lose the position but I prefer to not to take the risk. 

“At Turn 2 it was my mistake, because the rider behind always needs to be careful about the front rider, but I didn’t expect him to slow down so much. 

“With angle I wasn’t able to brake, and we had that contact. We escaped from that moment but it was a scary moment.”

Marc Marquez reveals why he wants ‘first opportunity’ at MotoGP title in Japan over Misano

A seventh Sprint-race double of the season has edged Marquez ever closer to a ninth world title, which he could have a chance of winning by Misano. 

The Spanish rider admitted he’d prefer not to win the championship at Misano, as it would mean misfortune for his brother Alex Marquez in the next round in Barcelona.

“Of course, now every time it’s getting closer and closer but we need to keep the same mentality and the same focus,” Marquez said. 

“Yesterday we speak a bit with the Spanish journalists, they were asking, they were pushing and they gave me the numbers.

“ I need to say I wish the first opportunity I have [to win the championship] in Japan or Mandalika, because if I have it in Misano it means my brother had a disaster weekend in Catalunya and I want the best for him.”

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Six-time WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea has announced he will retire from full-time racing at the end of the 2025 season.

The Northern Irishman departs as the most successful rider in the sport’s history, having won six consecutive world championships with Kawasaki from 2015 to 2020.

His career in the Superbike paddock began in 2008 with Ten Kate Honda, before he joined Kawasaki in 2015, and currently rides for Yamaha.

In his 459 championship races to date, the 38-year-old has broken numerous records, including the most championship titles, with 264 podium finishes and 119 victories.

Rea has struggled since moving to Yamaha in 2024, securing only one podium finish, which arrived at Donington Park.

Although he was rumoured to join Barni Spark Racing for the 2026 Ducati Panigale, the deal reportedly fell through.

“I’ve been thinking of this day for a long time, and finally I’ve decided to step away from full-time racing and retire,” Rea announced on his Instagram.

“This sport has been everything to me. From growing up as a child in Northern Ireland dreaming of racing bikes to standing on the top step of the World Superbike Championship, winning races and world championships.

“Throughout my career, I’ve only ever had one goal and that was to win, and that mentality defined who I was. I never raced to make up the numbers, I raced to be the best.

“But the time has come to listen to my body, my mind and most importantly, my instinct.

 “If I can’t race to win, then it’s time to step away. I have the same love for the sport I had on day one right now in this present day.

“I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve achieved during my lengthy career. Six World Championships, more than 100 race wins, and so many other accolades along the way. These are some records that I never imaged could be possible.

“It’s not the records, the trophies or the race wins. It’s the people and the memories I take with me forever,” he added.

“I’ve had the honour of working with some incredible teams, sponsors and engineers during my career.

“You’ve all been part of this journey and I’m incredibly grateful that you let me live my dream. To my family, mum and dad, brother and sisters, thank you so much for all your sacrifice during the early days of my career.

“To my wife, Tarsh, and our kids, Jake and Tyler, thank you so much for being my anchor and my rock during all the good and tougher times.

“To all my rivals and competitors during my career, thanks for making my dig deep. I was such a better rider because of you guys.

“To all my fans, thank you for all your incredible support and loyalty; all the support during good times and bad times have really helped me through and given me the career I’ve dreamed of.

“Whilst I’m stepping away from full-time racing, this isn’t goodbye. I’ll always be part of this sport, just in a different way.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything. It’s been one hell of a ride. I’ll see you in the paddock.”

His legacy remains strong, highlighted by other achievements such as finishing runner-up to Sir Mo Farah in the 2017 BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards and winning Irish Motorcyclist of the Year nine consecutive times.

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Luca Marini is impressed with the “remarkable strides” Honda has made in its development over the past year in MotoGP.

The Italian rider and the Japanese marque finished dead last in both championships during the 2024 season, enduring their worst-ever campaign in the premier class.

In 2025, Honda has taken steps forward, highlighted by Johann Zarco’s win at Le Mans and Marini finishing every race he competed in, despite missing three rounds due to injury.

Aside from rookie Somkiat Chantra, who has scored just one point, Zarco, Marini, and Joan Mir have placed Honda in the battle for ‘best of the rest’ behind Ducati.

Marini is choosing not to get complacent, stating to GPOne: “We have to keep our heads down and work because, in my opinion, there is still so much to sort out.

“In any case, it’s part of the process, we are making remarkable strides, especially considering where we started from.

“We have made a lot of changes since i arrived and that has allowed us to have decent speed here, in Austria and at two or three other tracks, especially where there is grip.

“Whereas now in Barcelona it’s going to be a big question mark because it’s a track where there is little grip and the engine matters so much and right now, those are our two weak points.

“We’ll see how we perform there.”

The 28-year-old produced his season-best result at the inaugural Hungarian round at Balaton Park, finishing fourth in Saturday’s Sprint and fifth in the Grand Prix.

He tussled in a battle with Franco Morbidelli and Jorge Martin, defeating only the former as Martin secured a career-best fourth place for Aprilia.

“Very good race, I had fun,” Marini told the media post-race.

“I got off to a really good start, in the first two corners, I juggled around pretty well, and then everything went pretty much according to plan.

“We were all there one in a row, half a second apart. Honestly, it already seemed to me that both me and Jorge [Martin] were a little bit faster than Franco [Morbidelli], but it’s really hard to overtake so we waited for the tyres to drop a little bit.

“It went really well, I’m happy with all the work we did all over the weekend and how we’re improving.”

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Ducati has officially announced the signing of Honda rider Iker Lecuona for the 2026 WorldSBK season.

Following its June announcement to part ways with two-time champion Alvaro Bautista after the 2025 season, Ducati believes the two-time WorldSBK podium finisher is the ideal replacement.

Still just 25, he has already built a strong resume across MotoGP and WorldSBK, racing for Tech3 KTM in 2020 and 2021, and spending the past four seasons with Honda.

The two-time podium finisher will join forces with Nicolo Bulega, who is two months his senior, for the 2026 season.

Due to the budget allocated for its second rider, reports indicate that the Spaniard has agreed to a reduced salary to ride the all-new 2026 Panigale.

Ducati’s official statement reads: “The Aruba.it Racing – Ducati team is pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached with Iker Lecuona, who will ride the new Ducati Panigale V4R in the 2026 WorldSBK season.

“Born on January 6, 2000, in Valencia, the Spanish rider made his debut in the Moto2 category at the age of 16, where he remained for four seasons before moving up to MotoGP in 2020 with the Tech3 team.

“Since 2022, he has been competing in World Superbike with the Honda HRC team, with whom he has achieved two podiums and one pole position in the 113 races he has contested so far.”

Honda added: “Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) and rider Iker Lecuona will bring their collaboration to a close at the end of the 2025 Superbike World Championship season.

“Since joining Honda HRC in 2022, Lecuona has proved his dedication and racing spirit, working closely with his crew to steadily improve on performance and consistently fight inside the top ten.

“His best WorldSBK results include two podium finishes, at Assen in 2022 and at Estoril in 2024.

“Committed to his role as a Honda rider, Lecuona also represented the company during several MotoGP rounds, as a replacement rider, and was part of the triumphant Honda line-up at the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in 2022, riding the CBR1000RR-R SP.

“Honda HRC wishes to thank Iker Lecuona for his dedication and professionalism throughout these four years together.”

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Marc Marquez triumphed in the inaugural MotoGP race at Balaton Park, securing his seventh consecutive victory in the process.

The factory Ducati rider continued his dominance as he sealed his tenth Grand Prix win of the season.

The Spaniard was joined on the rostrum by Pedro Acosta and Marco Bezzecchi, completing a podium made up of three different manufacturers.

Marquez held his lead from pole position to take the holeshot into Turn 1, but Aprilia’s Bezzecchi made an impressive overtake at Turn 2.

The Spaniard made contact with the Aprilia, which saw him drop back to fourth, but he immediately climbed back up to third.

Fabio Di Giannantonio appeared to have an issue with the rear of his bike, meaning he dropped from third to the pit lane.

Enea Bastianini was handed a double long-lap penalty after taking out Honda’s Johann Zarco in Saturday’s Sprint, but never got the chance to serve it, crashing out on Lap 1.

Alex Marquez went down at Turn 1 on the second lap, a crash that could have major implications for the championship considering his older brother’s advantage.

On Lap 3, Bezzecchi opened up a 0.8s advantage over his fellow VR46 Academy graduate Franco Morbidelli, with factory Ducati’s Marquez just a few bike lengths behind.

Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo served his long-lap penalty on Lap 4, handed to him for taking out Bastianini at Turn 1 during Saturday’s Sprint, demoting him down to 12th.

Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez and Joan Mir crashed out at the final corner on the exact same lap, but only Fernandez rejoined.

Jack Miller lost the front of his Pramac Yamaha, adding to the growing list of early crashes in the race.

Out front, championship leader Marquez completed a comfortable block pass on Morbidelli at Turn 5, before posting back-to-back fastest laps.

Realistically, it took Marquez only two laps to get to the back of the Aprilia, but his first chance arrived at Turn 1 on Lap 8. The Spaniard ran wide, and Bezzecchi slotted his way back through, only for a near-identical battle to take place at Turn 5.

The Ducati’s superior acceleration was evident as Marquez took wider exits out of corners, while Bezzecchi maximised the Aprilia’s performance.

On Lap 11, Marquez executed the long-awaited move into Turn 1 and surged ahead to open a 0.8-second advantage by the following lap.

The gap extended further to 1.5s by the end of Lap 13, while Bezzecchi’s Aprilia came under threat from Pedro Acosta’s KTM.

The KTM rider had reduced the gap to 0.3s, but there was no perfect opportunity at the halfway phase.

Away from the lead trio, rookie Fermin Aldeguer lost the front into Turn 1, resulting in a double crash from both Gresini Ducati riders.

Although his team-mate Alex Marquez continued, the Spaniard occupied 15th for the vast majority of the race.

Factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia started 13th and climbed to eighth, but after running wide, he was forced to lose a second upon rejoining. Despite that, he was handed a long-lap penalty, costing him a position.

While his struggles aboard the GP25 continued, his team-mate Marquez established a 2.8s gap over the rest of the field.

Behind the distant championship leader, Acosta climbed to second place after a Turn 1 overtake on Bezzecchi.

Pramac rider Miller crashed out for a second time, though this time he was unable to rejoin due to existing bike damage to his Yamaha.

LCR Honda rider Johann Zarco crashed out at Turn 8, meaning the Frenchman ends the weekend with zero points.

Marquez’s victory marks his seventh consecutive win and brings him one step closer to a ninth world championship.

Acosta sealed another rostrum for KTM as he crossed the line 4.3s behind his fellow countryman.

Bezzecchi rounded off the podium spots after leading for the first 11 laps of the race.

In fourth was Jorge Martin, who posted his best result on the Aprilia after starting 16th, closely followed by Honda’s Luca Marini and VR46 Ducati’s Morbidelli.

KTM’s Brad Binder and test rider Pol Espargaro ensured the Austrian marque had strong performers all round, securing seventh and eighth place, respectively.

Bagnaia secured ninth place, crossing the line nearly 15s behind his race-winning team-mate.

Fabio Quartararo rounded off the top ten for Yamaha, followed by rookie Ai Ogura and the Yamaha duo of Miguel Oliveira and Alex Rins.

Gresini’s Marquez secured 14th place as a result of multiple riders crashing, as Di Giannantonio claimed the final point after the torrid start.

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David Alonso produced a late charge from fifth to first as he claimed his maiden Moto2 victory at the brand-new Balaton Park circuit. 

Alonso prevailed over championship contenders Manuel Gonzalez and Diogo Moreira on the final two laps of the race as he won his first-ever race in the intermediate class by 0.174s.

Gonzalez made the best start from third, as he held the inside line to take the lead from polesitter Moreira.

Further down the order, chaos struck at Turn 1 as four riders were taken out of contention, with Celestino Vietti, Yuki Kunii, Darryn Binder and Unai Orradre all falling victim to the difficult race start.

Amidst the drama behind, Jake Dixon made a strong start from the second row and managed to overtake both Moreira and Gonzalez for the lead of the race. 

While both Moreira and Gonzalez looked to be the quicker riders throughout, Dixon’s strong late-braking allowed him to retain the lead ahead of the championship contenders.

However, on Lap 4 the Brazilian was able to use his superior pace to pass Dixon after the British rider ran onto the green paint at Turn 5. 

A lap later, the championship leader made his move on Dixon to take second place, and attempted to close on Moreira who had set the fastest lap of the race. 

A slight bobble for Moreira out of Turn 5 allowed Gonzalez to close the gap, with the Spaniard cutting three tenths out of the Brazilian’s lead in a single lap. 

Aron Canet spent a number of laps looking to pass Dixon, but the rookie duo of Collin Veijer and David Alonso capitalised on the Spaniard’s drop in pace to take fourth and fifth respectively. 

At the front, Gonzalez continued to close the gap between himself and the Brazilian and was finally able to take his opportunity on Lap 15, as he took the lead and immediately attempted to break away. 

In the battle for the final podium positions behind, Alonso set a new lap record as he used his new-found pace to pass fellow rookie Veijer for fourth.

At the front, Gonzalez had a big moment on the curbs coming out of Turn 5 to allow Moreira to close in, but the Spaniard managed to retain his position, but brought the second group of Dixon and Alonso back into contention.

Alonso was able to use the change to his advantage, as he stole third place from Dixon going into the first corner and attempted to charge onto the back of the leading pair. 

The reigning Moto3 World Champion studied the braking of Moreira ahead, and with two laps remaining he made his move at Turn 1, holding onto the position despite having his foot come off the side of his Aspar machine.

Gonzalez was next to come under pressure from the fast-charging Alonso, but the Colombian was unable to produce an overtake at his favoured Turn 1. 

At Turn 9, Alonso finally decided to strike and forced Gonzalez wide at the chicane, as the Aspar rider looked on course to take a debut victory in the class. 

The Colombian ran wide at the final chicane to allow Moreira one final opportunity to clinch the race victory, as the leading trio were level down the last straight. 

Alonso came through to seal his maiden Moto2 victory as he became the first Colombian to win a race in the intermediate class. 

Moreira maintained second place over the line despite contact with Gonzalez, with the disgruntled Spaniard completing the podium. 

Dixon clinched fourth ahead of Veijer in fifth, while Canet eventually crossed the line in sixth. 

Adrian Huertas produced his best result in Moto2 to date as he took seventh, as Filip Salac saw the chequered flag in eighth. 

Daniel Holgado led fellow rookie Ivan Ortola over the line as the pair took ninth and 10th respectively, with Marcos Ramirez a distant 11th.

Barry Baltus was forced to take a long lap due to track limits but came home in 12th, as Zonta van den Goorbergh finished 13th. 

Albert Arenas was involved in the first corner incident but crossed the line in 14th, as Tony Arbolino completed the points finishers in 15th.

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Maximo Quiles produced a remarkable comeback as he edged out Valentin Perrone to seal the Hungarian Moto3 victory via a photo finish.

The Spanish rider recovered after losing the lead of the race to fellow rookie Perrone, as the pair were separated by just 0.018s over the line. 

Quiles made the best start from pole position and held his lead down into the first two corners. 

The rest of the front row also made a good start, with Perrone and Angel Piqueras holding their positions in second and third, before David Munoz was forced to sit up going into Turn 2. 

Further down the order, championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda was unable to make progress on the start and was overtaken by Guido Pini as he settled into eighth place.

On Lap 3, Quiles ran wide at the first chicane to allow Perrone to take the lead, but the Spaniard responded straight away to regain the position. 

Behind the lead pair, Munoz seemingly recovered from his second corner blunder to move ahead of Angel Piqueras into the podium positions, before passing Perrone to take second. 

Piqueras didn’t waste much time in making his move past the Argentine, as the Spaniard followed Munoz’s lead to steal the last podium spot. 

Down into Turn 9. Piqueras regained his place in front of Munoz as the rider sitting second in the championship moved into second in the race.

The pair then relinquished their positions back to Perrone down the straight, but a small error for the Argentinian in Turn 14 allowed Piqueras back into second place. 

Munoz also returned to the rostrum by overtaking Perrone, and set the fastest lap of the race in his bid to re-pass Piqueras.

As Quiles looked to up the pace at the front, he made an error at Turn 15 to allow the three riders behind to overtake, with Perrone taking the lead after receiving some slipstream from Munoz down the straight. 

Guido Pini also made a slight error behind Quiles, which allowed Rueda to take fifth and close in on the leading group. 

As the Italian faded from the leading group, Munoz struck once more on Piqueras to re-take second place, though Perrone continued to hold firm at the front of the field. 

Quiles also showed his overtaking prowess by pulling a move on Piqueras to put himself back into the podium positions, and crucially found a rider between himself and championship leader Rueda.

The young Spaniard found his rhythm to put another overtake on Munoz for second, as he attempted to close the gap to Perrone in the lead. 

Going onto the final lap, it was a head-to-head between Perrone and Quiles for the victory, as the young Spaniard looked to make his move at the opening few corners, but the Argentine’s sweeping lines made him hold position. 

At Turn 5, Quiles made his move on Perrone, and this time was able to make it stick as he attempted to lead for the remainder of the final lap.

In the final chicane, the Argentinian set up a last-ditch attempt to take the victory, levelling Quiles to move back in front. 

However, Quiles responded in the last corner and the riders drew level as they raced to the finish line down the main straight, making slight contact before the flag. 

It was Quiles who crossed the line first to record his second victory of the campaign by just 0.018s. 

Perrone was forced to settle for second despite a valiant fight back, while Munoz completed the podium in third. 

Piqueras narrowly missed out on a visit to the rostrum in fourth as he slightly closed the gap on championship leader Rueda, who took fifth. 

Adrian Fernandez led Leopard team-mate David Almansa over the line as the pair took sixth and seventh respectively, with Joel Kelso just behind in eighth. 

Alvaro Carpe completed the race in ninth as Jacob Roulstone rounded out the top 10. 

Dennis Foggia spent the majority of the race on his own as crossed the line in 11th, two seconds clear of Nicola Carraro in 12th.

Casey O’Gorman ended his final stand-in race for the Sic58 Squadra in 13th, while both Ryusei Yamanaka and Marcos Uriarte were forced to visit the gravel trap to avoid a crashing Scott Ogden, but came home to complete the points finishers.

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Championship leader Marc Marquez cruised to yet another MotoGP Sprint victory, claiming his 13th short-race win of the 2025 season at Balaton Park.

The Spaniard crossed the line a distant 2.1s clear of the VR46 Ducati duo of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Franco Morbidelli.

Polesitter Marquez secured a perfect launch off the line into Turn 1, but the tight corner saw drama as Frenchman Fabio Quartararo took out Enea Bastianini.

The 2021 champion narrowly avoided a collision with Di Giannantonio and Marquez, and fortunately, only two riders were caught up in the incident with no injuries to report.

Bastianini rejoined after running through the gravel, but his race came to an end later that lap when he and Frenchman Johann Zarco crashed out.

Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi was caught up after starting second, dropping back to eighth place.

Marquez established a 0.5s advantage by the end of Lap 1, followed by the VR46 Ducati duo of Di Giannantonio and Morbidelli.

The lead kept growing as the Spaniard grew the gap to 1.0s, but the notable Turn 1 Lap 1 incident promoted the Honda duo of Luca Marini and Joan Mir to fourth and fifth place.

Mir ran wide on Lap 5, allowing Gresini rider Fermin Aldeguer to rise up to fifth place aboard his GP24 Ducati.

The stop-start nature of the new Hungarian track made overtaking a tough task, as shown by the tight scrap between Alex Marquez and Pol Espargaro.

Marquez ran wide when trying a lunge, allowing Espargaro to ease his way back through to reclaim eighth position.

Behind them, Jorge Martin and Pedro Acosta were locked in another battle, but Acosta’s attempted move ended in disaster as he ran wide and crashed out. Marquez and Martin inevitably found a way through.

Out front, Marc Marquez stretched out a 2.5s lead, but he must be cautious as he was issued a track limits warning with six laps to go.

That concern quickly faded, as the Spaniard dominated from start to finish to secure another win.

Di Giannantonio, the second GP25 Ducati rider, secured a strong result despite having to fight his way through the first phase of qualifying earlier in the day.

Morbidelli rounded off the podium spots, finishing 1.5s behind his fellow countryman and team-mate.

Marini secured a strong result for Honda to finish fourth, closely followed by rookie Aldeguer and team-mate Mir.

Bezzecchi’s seventh was all he could muster for Aprilia, but he fended off against championship rival Alex Marquez.

Martin secured ninth place and the final point in the short-race format, closely followed by KTM’s Pol Espargaro.

Raul Fernandez and Jack Miller followed as the pair crossed the line ahead of 13th-place rider, factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia.

Miguel Oliveira and Ai Ogura finished 14th and 15th, respectively, with Alex Rins and Pedro Acosta closing out proceedings.

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Marc Marquez dominated the first-ever Hungarian MotoGP qualifying session at Balaton Park to claim pole position with a new lap record.

The eight-time World Champion sealed the first MotoGP pole position around the Balaton Park circuit by 0.290s.

Pedro Acosta crashed in the opening minutes of Q2, disrupting many of the riders’ first attempts at lap times, though Marquez was able to come through to set the early pace.

The Spanish rider continued his form as the yellow flags came in, setting the fastest lap time of the weekend with a 1:36.646. 

Though there were a number of challenges throughout the session, Marquez managed to go even faster on his final attempt, sealing pole position with a time of 1:36.518.

Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio came through from Q1 to make the front row, with Bezzecchi in second and Di Giannantonio taking third. 

Enea Bastianini qualified fourth to head the second row of the grid, while Franco Morbidelli took fifth at the end of the session. 

Fabio Quartararo completed the session in sixth after setting a strong final lap ahead of Acosta in seventh after his early crash. 

Fermin Aldeguer finished his qualifying campaign in eighth to finish ahead of both factory Honda riders, with Luca Marini in ninth and Joan Mir taking the flag in 10th. 

Alex Marquez struggled throughout the session and could only manage 11th, which would become 14th for Sunday’s race due to his three place grid penalty for disturbing Francesco Bagnaia in practice. 

Riding for Tech3 as a replacement for the injured Maverick Vinales, Pol Espargaro completed the Q2 standings in 12th after suffering a crash with seconds left on the clock. 

Brad Binder set an identical lap time to Fabio Di Giannantonio, but was eliminated in Q1 on a tiebreaker, meaning the South African could only qualify 13th.

Jack Miller completed his qualifying in 14th, while Francesco Bagnaia continued his disappointing run of form and rounded out the fifth row in 15th. 

Raul Fernandez headed the sixth row after qualifying 16th, ahead of reigning World Champion Jorge Martin in 17th and Johann Zarco in 18th.

Miguel Oliveira showed strong pace at the start of the session, but only managed 19th at the end of the session.

Alex Rins took the flag in 20th, while Ai Ogura completed the standings after qualifying 21st.

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