KTM’s Pedro Acosta led the charge in Friday afternoon’s MotoGP practice at Balaton Park by an incredibly narrow margin over Marc Marquez despite a late crash.
MotoGP fans witnessed fierce competition as riders adapted to the new Balaton Park circuit eager to set fast lap times for a direct Q2 spot, as the series marked the first Hungarian GP since 1992.
The session began relatively uneventful as Marc Marquez took an early lead with a dominant lap that kept his rivals at bay by just over a tenth of a second.
Austrian MotoGP podium finisher Fermin Aldeguer stayed close behind Marquez, exhibiting impressive rookie form, while Fabio Di Giannantonio made it an early Ducati one-two-threer.
Meanwhile, Pedro Acosta and Jorge Martin hovered inside the top five during the opening stages, showing early signs of competitiveness at the new venue.
Acosta later emerged as a serious contender as the session progressed towards its final 30 minutes, after delivering a breakthrough lap of 1:38.012 which catapulted him into the top three, within a tenth of Marquez’s time.
However, Aldeguer having switched to a new medium immediately responded with a quicker time at 1:37.793, which eclipsed Marquez’s FP1 benchmark as the new Balaton Park MotoGP lap record.
Tech3’s Enea Bastianini later joined Aldeguer in the 1m 37s before Marquez struck back with a 1:37.753s while running a 17-lap old medium rear.
With ten minutes remaining, Pedro Acosta fired back with another 1’37.061s flyer which ultimately stuck as the Balaton Park MotoGP practice benchmark, just 0.006s clear of Marc Marquez’s final attempt.
Acosta’s performance was especially noteworthy considering he suffered a late crash after losing KTM rear through the Turn 2 left-hander.
Full 2025 Hungary MotoGP Practice Results (Friday) – Balaton Park
Marc Marquez leads Pol Espargaro in MotoGP Hungary FP1
Alex Marquez also put on a strong display to finish third on his Gresini Ducati, while his teammate Fermin Aldeguer reinforced Ducati’s competitive showing in fourth. Tech3’s Enea Bastianini marked the second KTM in fifth followed by VR46 Ducati’s Franco Morbidelli.
Factory Honda riders Luca Marini and Joan Mir also demonstrated competitive pace placing seventh and ninth, respectively, split by KTM Tech3 stand-in Pol Espargaro while Fabio Quartararo snatched the final Q2 spot.
Several big names, including reigning world champion Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi, and Francesco Bagnaia struggled to secure a direct Q2 slot. Bagnaia in particular seemed to have braking issues and languished at the bottom which was a disappointment given his aspirations for the weekend.
There were also notable incidents during the practice with several riders including Alex Marquez, Bagnaia, and Pramac’s Jack Miller who is under stewards’ investigation for a possible blocking incident at Turn 2.
In a nutshell, the practice sessions revealed a tight lap-time spread among the top contenders with the track’s 17 corners and fast chicane sections demanding technical precision and courage from all riders.
The relatively low top speed – around 305 km/h – compared to other MotoGP venues underscored the circuit’s technical complexity rather than pure power, favoring riders who could maintain momentum through tight corners.
Marc Marquez noted the uniqueness and challenge of the Balaton Park circuit, describing it as “very different” and one of the most difficult tracks to find consistency on due to its layout and the need to be precise to avoid track limits.
Despite these challenges, he expressed satisfaction with his pace and the day’s work, focusing on aiming for a front-row start given the track’s difficulty in overtaking.
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