The MotoGP Free Practice 1 session for the inaugural Hungarian GP at Balaton Park Circuit got underway in dramatic fashion. Within fifteen minutes, the session was red-flagged due to fluid on the track from Aprilia engine failures. However, the chaos didn’t stop Marc Márquez from taking the top spot with a flying lap time of 1:37.95. Rounding off the top three were Pol Espargaró and Pedro Acosta on the KTM machines. Find out all the details and paddock chatter below.
Riders Ruled Out and Ultimatums Given
Going into the race weekend, it was confirmed that Maverick Viñales would not be participating this weekend after he withdrew from last week’s Austrian Grand Prix. The Spaniard is still recovering from a left shoulder fracture, needing more time after the summer break to race again. Red Bull KTM Tech3 test rider, Pol Espargaró, will step up to take his place.
We had expected another brother duo on the grid, as Aleix Espargaró was supposed to replace Somkiat Chantra, the Thai rider still recovering from a knee injury. However, A. Espargaró sustained an injury himself in a cycling accident earlier in the week, citing severe back pain as he arrived at Balaton Park on Thursday.
Down the line at the Pramac Yamaha garage, the gauntlet has been thrown down by Jack Miller. The Australian, who is yet to learn if he has a seat in the team next year alongside the WorldSBK Champion Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, commented to MotoGP media about his frustrations at being kept in the dark.
“Your guess is as good as mine at the moment in terms of what their strategy is and what they plan on doing. I have options, and I’m going to move forward with those options if it doesn’t come quickly.”
We had expected Pramac Yamaha to make an announcement when MotoGP returned from summer break on whether or not Miller or Miguel Oliveira would have a ride in 2026. This statement from the #43 rider may prompt a swift decision. Although if you believe the rumours, the eyes are on the current Moto2 Championship leader, Manuel González, to take that spot.
New Track Gives Everyone Equal Footing
With it being the first race weekend held at the Hungarian venue, all riders started the Free Practice 1 session to get a feel for the track. Forty-five minutes began without incident, although M. Márquez did go wide coming into Turn 1. Some of the bikes decided to trial some frame design changes and brake disc rotors, testing to see if that could prove advantageous at Balaton Park Circuit.
Double Aprilia Engine Failure Brings Red Flags Out
However, one tech change did not pan out so well as the Aprilia Racing, as the machine ridden by Jorge Martín blew up coming down the main straight. The #1 quickly veered off the racing line to park it in the gravel on Turn 1 before walking away and leaving it to the marshals to deal with. Another Aprilia, this time the Trackhouse bike of Raúl Fernández, also had a major engine failure coming into Turn 5. Due to visibility issues from the smoke and oil spillage on the track, the session was red-flagged. The Free Practice 1 session still had thirty minutes left as riders returned to the garage awaiting the clean-up operation.
Session Resumes as Riders Test Limits
Warily, the riders came back out after the oil was cleaned up. But it wasn’t long before another incident, this time from Franco Morbidelli crashing in Turn 1, as well as Miller and Marco Bezzecchi going wide into the gravel. Fabio Quartararo had a moment going into Turn 1, looking unnerved as he righted himself before taking a look behind him.
Morbidelli came down for a second time, this time in Sector 4. Bezzecchi also had another incident with Brad Binder, as the Italian slowed up in front of the South African. Luckily, they did not come together in a crash, both raising their hands in acknowledgement. A lot of riders took shortcuts to avoid crashing, giving us a look at how the rest of the weekend could continue. As the checkered flag came out, Miller tipped his bike too much coming into Turn 12.
The Top 10
- Márc Márquez
- Pol Espargaró
- Pedro Acosta
- Luca Marini
- Álex Márquez
- Marco Bezzecchi
- Franco Morbildelli
- Enea Bastianini
- Fermín Aldeguer
- Jorge Martín
While this was only the first session of the weekend in MotoGP, the paddock is still buzzing with anticipation for what the rest of the weekend will bring. If Aldeguer backs up his performance from last week to win in Hungary, he will become the second-youngest winner in the sport. However, M. Márquez has his sights set on a seventh straight Grand Prix win. The last time he did that was in 2014. For anyone wanting to make history this weekend, they will have to perform well later this afternoon to advance directly into tomorrow’s Q2 session.