Considering the interrupted free practice 1 session MotoGP riders dealt with, they were all eager to get on track for practice. With an hour to get to grips with the new track it was Pedro Acosta who set the pace.
KTM On Form
Since the summer break, the KTM bikes seem to have a new lease of life. With two riders in the top three of FP1 KTM look set to have a quick bike around Balaton Park. This was further proved in practice when 3 of the 4 KTM riders made their way straight to Q2.
Factory rider Pedro Acosta was quick from the get go, finding himself battling for the P1 spot with Marc Márquez and Fermín Aldeguer. The three Spanish riders were swapping the quickest time between them for the majority of the session. But it was Acosta who came out on top, posting an untouchable time of 1:47.061.
KTM Tech 3 riders Enea Bastianini and Pol Espargaró were also setting the times alive but both took more time to get up to speed. Initially, Espargaró focused on testing elements on the bike, as per his role as test and replacement rider. But he soon settled in and joined the fight. Both riders advanced straight to Q2, giving KTM a positive start to the weekend.
Struggles for Bagnaia
With M Márquez battling for the fastest times, it was a stark contrast to Francesco Bagnaia’s practice session. As a rider known for his late braking, the Italian seemed to struggle with the braking zones and couldn’t piece together a lap throughout the session. Whilst he occasionally held the fastest sector time, a complete lap never came and Bagnaia finds himself facing Q1 tomorrow.
This was seemingly made worse with an unusual on-track disagreement with Álex Márquez near the end of the session. Á Márquez appeared to impede Bagnaia, but on closer inspection he was also having a moment with Prima Pramac rider Jack Miller. The cause of this could be linked to Brad Binder going off track but either way – the moment clearly frustrated Bagnaia. The three riders are under investigation from Race Control.
Cancelled Laps and Yellow Flags
Balaton Park is a new circuit where only a handful of riders have tested. It’s only natural that in these opening sessions, they’d be finding the limits of the track. As such, many laps were cancelled due to riders finding said limits and going through the shortcuts. At one point, Marco Bezzecchi found himself riding through the gravel as he learnt the limit of the curbing.
This eased as the session progressed with riders getting more confident around the Hungarian track. But two consecutive yellow flags in the closing moments of practice led to abandoned laps and what ifs for some.
The first yellow came from fastest rider Acosta. Trying to follow M Márquez, he highsided in Turn 2, prematurely ending his session. This was quickly followed by Johann Zarco crashing into Turn 11. Both riders were unhurt but due to the timing, were unable to finish the session.
A Mixed Grid In Q2
Times were plummetting throughout the session and with riders still adjusting, Q2 sees a mix of riders and teams. Honda HRC Castrol see both riders – Joan Mir and Luca Marini – advancing. But the troubles for Aprilia Racing continued as no Aprilia-backed rider made it into the top 10.
With 17 riders all within 1 second of each other, the grid was incredibly tight. With some big names out in Q1, and only 2 more spots available in Q2, we will see some start out of position in the races.
The full top ten and who’s straight into Q2 can be seen below:
With Acosta almost reaching a time in the 1:46’s, we’re bound to see the times continue to fall throughout qualifying. Can the upcoming Spaniard take a second pole position tomorrow?