Marc Marquez storms to MotoGP Hungary pole with all-new Balaton Park lap record

Marc Marquez put on a commanding performance by smashing the Balaton Park lap record not once, but twice during qualifying to claim MotoGP Hungary pole position.

The six-time premier-class world champion made a statement of intent with a record 1:36.518s, giving him a comfortable margin of nearly three-tenths of a second over his closest rival Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia Racing.

The remarkable pace not only secured Marquez his eighth pole of the season but also extended his record to a total of 74 pole positions in the premier class, underscoring his dominance in MotoGP qualifying history

The qualifying proceedings were set against the backdrop of the newly introduced Balaton Park Circuit, a track characterized by its technical complexity, demanding multiple heavy braking zones and offering limited overtaking opportunities.

This made the session’s final classification particularly crucial as grid positions were expected to heavily influence race outcomes.

The qualifying format featured two stages, Q1 and Q2, with some notable drama unfolding in Q1 where several heavyweights contended fiercely for entry into the final qualifying session.

Notable names such as Bezzecchi and reigning world champion Champion Jorge Martin found themselves battling in Q1 alongside Marquez’s Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia.

Bezzecchi showcased resilience and superior pace by topping the Q1 times, thus advancing to Q2 and earning a coveted front-row spot for the race.

Bagnaia, however, endured a dismal session, failing to progress beyond Q1, marking his worst qualifying performance since 2020 in dry conditions and breaking a solid streak since Indonesia 2023.

Q2 was highlighted by intense competition and some disruptions including a crash by Pedro Acosta after he lost his KTM rear at the high-speed Turn 8 before he had even registered a lap time.

The incident unsettled the initial attempts of several riders to post fast lap times but Marc Marquez quickly asserted his dominance by setting the fastest lap of the weekend early in the session.

The Spaniard further cemented his advantage with a late surge to claim MotoGP Hungary pole three-tenths of a second clear of his nearest rivals.

2025 Hungary MotoGP – Full Qualifying Results

Pedro Acosta paces Balaton Park MotoGP practice 2 ahead of Marc Marquez

Meanwhile, Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio joined Marquez on the front row after battling hard through Q1 to secure second and third, respectively. Di Giannantonio’s advance to Q2 was particularly dramatic as he missed Q1 elimination by just 0.001s.

The second row of the grid featured Tech3 KTM’s Enea Bastianini, VR46 Ducati’s Franco Morbidelli and Factory Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo who was the sole Yamaha representative to reach Q2 and managed to qualify a respectable sixth after delivering a strong final lap.

Other noteworthy performances in the qualifying session included Fermin Aldeguer who qualified eighth, ahead of factory Honda riders Luca Marini and Joan Mir who rounded out the top ten.

Notably absent was Jorge Martin who despite being a favorite struggled in Q1 and missed making it to the final qualifying shootout.

The track conditions at Balaton Park proved challenging due to its demanding layout, with six right-hand turns and ten left-hand turns over a 4,115-meter course that tested rider endurance and technical skill.

Marc Marquez acknowledged the difficulty of maximizing lap times on this circuit, emphasizing the importance of getting a strong start and positioning going into the first corner, given the circuit’s limited overtaking spots.

“It’s quite a difficult race track especially to find a way to be constant, to not exaggerate,” he said after qualifying. “Step by step we got into the rhythm.

“It is one of the more difficult circuits to understand the way to be fast. But it is one of the easiest circuits to arrive at the limit. I expect tomorrow it will be super tight.

“The focus will be to try the soft rear tyre, to understand for a race distance. We need to try something on the set-up also because I believe we can improve in some points.”

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