MotoGP 2026

Round Eight – Balaton Park – Friday

Pedro Acosta sent a fairly emphatic message on Friday at Balaton Park, the Red Bull KTM rider ending the opening day of the Hungarian Grand Prix more than four-tenths clear of the MotoGP field.

Acosta’s 1m36.827 in Practice was the only 1m36s lap of the day and left him 0.413s ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio, with Raul Fernandez third for Trackhouse Aprilia. It was a strong opening day for KTM at the front, but also a particularly encouraging Friday for Aprilia, which placed all four of its riders directly into Q2.

Jack Miller also made the cut, the Australian putting the Prima Pramac Yamaha into tenth late in the session to avoid the congestion of Q1.

Balaton Park makes a stark first impression

Friday at Balaton Park also made for a fairly stark visual contrast after Mugello. The spectator areas looked almost completely devoid of people, while the circuit’s tight and nadgery sections did not exactly showcase MotoGP at its most spectacular.

It is clearly a technical test for riders and engineers, with braking references, traction and precision all at a premium, but as a stage for the fastest motorcycles in the world, the stop-start Hungarian layout does not flatter the category in quite the same way as the calendar’s more flowing, established grand prix venues. It is a far cry from last weekend at Mugello.

Acosta lays down the Friday benchmark

Marc Marquez had set the early tone in FP1, topping the morning session with a 1m38.626 ahead of Raul Fernandez and Acosta, but the afternoon belonged emphatically to the KTM rider.

Fermin Aldeguer spent time at the top of the Practice timesheets during the first half of the session, continuing a positive run as he works back towards full fitness. Acosta then moved to P1 around the midway point and, once the time attacks started in earnest, the benchmark moved beyond the reach of the rest.

His 1m36.827 was the only lap in the 1m36s bracket and left him 0.413s clear of Fabio Di Giannantonio. Raul Fernandez was third for Trackhouse Aprilia, giving the Friday top three a useful spread across KTM, Ducati and Aprilia machinery.

Four Aprilias straight through to Q2

Acosta’s margin was the obvious headline, but Aprilia’s day was arguably the strongest collective manufacturer showing. All four RS-GP26 machines went directly through to Q2, with Fernandez third, Ai Ogura fifth, Marco Bezzecchi sixth and Jorge Martin ninth.

On a circuit where overtaking looks set to be tricky, and where set-up confidence appears particularly important, that was a significant opening-day result across both the factory Aprilia Racing squad and Trackhouse.

Fernandez said sector three was the main area still to tidy up, noting that Acosta had made much of his margin there. Still, the Spaniard looked comfortable again on the Trackhouse Aprilia and said that recent progress in time-attack riding had helped him find lap time without needing a tow. Ogura was also relieved to make Q2 directly, especially on a layout where grid position could carry extra weight. The Japanese rider admitted the first time-attack run had not been ideal, but the final lap did the job.

Bezzecchi had been ninth in FP1, then improved to sixth in Practice. He suggested the feeling had been better than the morning classification showed and that his pace was encouraging, even if the time-attack lap was not quite where he wanted it.

“The goal was to go straight through to Q2 and we achieved it. The sensations were good already this morning, even if it may not have seemed that way with the FP1 result. As soon as the practice session started, I felt like I had in the morning – perhaps even slightly better – and I was pretty fast in terms of pace. I struggled a bit more than I would have liked in the time-attack, but at the end of the day, the most important thing was to be in the top ten.”

Martin also made useful progress through the day. The Spaniard was 12th in FP1, then climbed to ninth in Practice to avoid Q1. He conceded the time-attack phase is still an area where he is having to work through some complications when pushing at full commitment, but direct passage to Q2 gives him a better base for Saturday.

“The important thing is being in Q2. The feeling throughout the day improved greatly. The time-attack is an area where I still struggle. When I try to push, complications arise, but that’s all part of the process. We still have time to fully analyse the critical points so we can be ready for Saturday.”

Aprilia Racing’s Paolo Bonora said the factory team had achieved its first target with both Bezzecchi and Martin through to Q2, while the Trackhouse performances confirmed the RS-GP26 had started the weekend strongly at Balaton Park.

“It was certainly a good start. We achieved the goal of having both factory riders in Q2 and we also had pleasant confirmation from Trackhouse MotoGP Team, with all four Aprilia riders in the top ten on Friday. Having four RS-GP26 machines go straight through to Q2 means that we’ve started on the right foot on such a particular circuit, where finding the right set-up to allow the riders to fully express their potential both in the sprint race and in the long race will be fundamental.”

Di Giannantonio leads Ducati challenge

Fabio Di Giannantonio led the Ducati challenge in second for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, continuing a strong qualifying trend by securing direct Q2 access for the sixth consecutive time this season.

The Italian had already been inside the top five in FP1, then improved to a 1m37.240 in the closing stages of Practice. VR46 had worked through front-end feeling and overall bike balance during a busy Friday, but Di Giannantonio also showed enough rhythm to suggest the lap was not just a one-off time attack.

“It was a busy day, but I am happy because throughout the day we’ve been working a lot to find something that can allow us to get closer to our rivals and improving the bike even more: we focused on the front and on the balance of the bike. However, it takes time and we need to prepare the weekend too. We secured the Q2 with a good lap right at the final minutes and we managed to have good laps. Overall, we are happy because today we showed a good speed.”

The factory Ducati picture was more mixed. Marc Marquez was fastest in FP1 and remained inside the top ten for most of the afternoon, eventually finishing seventh. Ducati noted that he had shown speed on both new and used tyres, but his final time attack was compromised when he went long. Marquez said he was still having to pick the sections of the lap where he could push, rather than attacking every corner with the same freedom.

“The problem at the moment is that I’d like to go fast on every lap, but I can’t. I only have to push in parts, and that doesn’t help me stay focused. That’s why I went long in the time attack, because I can’t easily find my references, especially under braking. We need to remain patient and try to do everything as best we can. It’s definitely a less physically demanding circuit than Mugello, and tomorrow morning we’ll have a better idea of ​​our potential in terms of results, especially based on the outcome of qualifying.”

Francesco Bagnaia faces a more complicated Saturday after finishing only 14th. Bagnaia briefly put himself back inside the top ten late in Practice, but a mistake at Turn 16 hurt his final run. He said a rear slide on corner entry at the penultimate turn cost him around four-tenths, which would likely have been enough for direct passage to Q2.

More concerning was his wider comment that rear grip and turning were both lacking, despite Balaton Park appearing on paper to be a circuit where those weaknesses should not have been as severe.

“We didn’t manage to get into the top ten because during the time attack, at the penultimate corner, the rear of my bike slipped off while entering. I lost about four tenths, which would have been enough to get straight into Q2. I’m struggling a lot with rear grip, and in a certain sense, I’m quite surprised by this given the characteristics of the track. Unfortunately, this is affecting us a lot, because we can’t get the bike to turn as we’d like.”

Aldeguer ended the afternoon fourth for Gresini Ducati, a strong result on a circuit he said is not as physically demanding as some others. The Spaniard still saw margin in his own riding after a few small errors, and said the focus for Saturday would be precision and set-up work that allows him to be fast without having to over-ride the bike.

Moreira gives LCR Honda a Q2 boost

LCR Honda also had a notable Friday through Diogo Moreira, who secured eighth and another direct Q2 appearance. The Brazilian was riding a MotoGP machine at Balaton Park for the first time, yet adapted quickly across the two sessions. He described the circuit as difficult to read because of its narrow racing line, with little margin for error on what is a relatively compact MotoGP venue.

“Today, I managed to adapt and enjoy the riding, so I’m happy with the job we’ve done. It’s difficult to understand the track because there’s only one line, which makes it hard to improve your lap time. With a MotoGP bike, you need to avoid mistakes because it’s a small circuit. Securing a place in Q2 is a positive result and will help us a lot going into tomorrow.”

For Honda HRC Castrol, both Luca Marini and Joan Mir missed direct Q2 despite being close on time. Marini was eighth in the morning and improved by almost half-a-second in Practice, but his 1m37.949 left him 13th. The Italian said Honda was again struggling to extract the full benefit from the soft tyre in time-attack trim.

Mir was 16th on a 1m38.024, only 0.264s from Miller’s tenth-place cut-off, but said the team had struggled to get the front working correctly during a day of set-up experimentation.

Cal Crutchlow, again standing in at LCR Honda for the injured Johann Zarco, finished 22nd on a circuit new to him. Still sore from the previous weekend, the Briton said he felt better on the bike than he had at Mugello and was able to ride more normal laps as he continued to build across the day.

Miller gives Yamaha a Q2 lifeline

Yamaha’s Friday split in two directions. Miller was the bright spot, putting the Prima Pramac Yamaha into tenth and straight through to Q2, while Fabio Quartararo missed out by 0.111s in 11th. Toprak Razgatlioglu was 12th, only 0.165s from the Q2 cut, while Alex Rins and Franco Morbidelli were further back in 21st and 20th respectively.

Miller’s late 1m37.760 was enough to put the Australian straight into Q2, an important result on a tight and technical layout where starting position could be unusually influential. The Queenslander said the Yamaha felt strong on used tyres and improved again when fresh rubber went in, although the narrow line and chicanes made it difficult to complete a perfect lap.

“I‘m obviously very happy to have secured direct access to Q2 today. On a tight and technical circuit like this, it‘s important to put yourself in the right position early in the weekend, so it was nice to get the job done on Friday. I had a really good feeling with the bike this morning, but when we switched to the second bike I struggled a lot more. Fortunately, the team did a great job and we were able to solve most of those issues during the afternoon.”

Razgatlioglu’s Friday also carried some promise, even if it ended outside the top ten. The Turkish rider spent much of the day in or around the Q2 places and said the circuit suited his riding style. He pointed to low grip in the first sector and rear-wheel push on the soft tyre as areas to improve, but said recent Yamaha gains with engine-brake settings were also working at Balaton Park.

Quartararo’s 11th place leaves him in a very competitive Q1. The Monster Energy Yamaha rider said the feeling had not been ideal, with gearing work still ongoing and a few mistakes on hot laps costing him. Rins, meanwhile, said it had been another difficult day as he and the team continued searching for traction and smoother behaviour from the bike.

Q1 stacked with big names

Tech3 KTM also faces Q1 with both riders. Enea Bastianini was 15th, less than a quarter of a second from the top ten, while Maverick Viñales finished 19th after riding Balaton Park for the first time. Bastianini’s day was not without positives: he was competitive in sectors one and two and topped the speed chart at 302 km/h, but lost too much time in sector three, particularly in the heavy acceleration areas.

Viñales said his shoulder was easier to manage at Balaton Park and that Friday allowed him to complete longer runs for the first time since his return in Barcelona, although a yellow flag interrupted what he felt could have been a stronger final time attack.

Brad Binder looked set to move into the top ten before crashing late in the session, leaving the South African 18th and facing Q1. Franco Morbidelli also has work to do from 20th after reporting similar rear grip issues to those that affected him at Mugello.

Iker Lecuona was another interesting subplot. The WorldSBK stand-in for Gresini Ducati briefly moved into the Q2 places before finishing 17th, just under three-tenths away from Miller’s tenth-place time. Lecuona said he had to adjust some Superbike habits to suit the MotoGP machine, but that once the process started to become more natural he was able to enjoy the extra power and ride more freely.

Aldeguer finished fourth, ahead of Ogura and Bezzecchi, while Marc Marquez ended the afternoon seventh after topping the morning. Moreira was eighth for LCR Honda, Martin ninth for Aprilia, and Miller completed the all-important top ten.

That leaves Saturday’s first qualifying session unusually loaded, with Bagnaia, Quartararo, Razgatlioglu, Marini, Bastianini, Mir, Lecuona, Binder, Viñales, Morbidelli, Rins and Crutchlow all trying to fight their way into Q2. Acosta, meanwhile, starts Sprint Saturday as the clear Friday benchmark, while Aprilia has four riders already positioned to make life difficult for the rest.

MotoGP Friday Times

2026 MotoGP Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Points
1	M. Bezzecchi	173
2	J. Martin	156
3	F. Di Giannantonio	134
4	P. Acosta	103
5	A. Ogura	92
6	R. Fernandez	88
7	F. Bagnaia	82
8	M. Marquez	71
9	A. Marquez	67
10	F. Aldeguer	58
11	L. Marini	46
12	B. Binder	42
13	E. Bastianini	39
14	F. Morbidelli	38
15	F. Quartararo	37
16	J. Zarco	34
17	D. Moreira	23
18	J. Mir	15
19	A. Rins	9
20	M. Viñales	5
21	A. Fernandez	4
22	T. Razgatlioglu	4
23	J. Miller	3
24	J. Folger	0
25	M. Pirro	0
26	C. Crutchlow	0

Moto2

Manuel Gonzalez was the clear Friday benchmark in Moto2, the championship leader setting a new all-time lap record at Balaton Park with a 1m40.229.

That left Gonzalez just over two-tenths clear of David Alonso, who returned to the sharp end at a circuit that already carries good memories for him. Balaton Park was the venue for Alonso’s first Moto2 victory in 2025, and the CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team rider looked far more comfortable from the start of Friday’s running in Hungary.

Alonso had already been second in the morning session, then made another step in the afternoon despite stronger winds making conditions more difficult. After working through some minor changes with his crew, the Colombian lapped almost a second quicker than he had in FP1, his 1m40.432 putting him second again, 0.203s behind Gonzalez.

Filip Salac completed the top three, with Daniel Muñoz putting in a late lap to take fourth. Rookie Alberto Ferrandez was fifth and the leading Boscoscuro rider, ahead of Collin Veijer and Alex Escrig.

Dani Holgado also gave the CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team a useful Friday, securing direct entry to Q2 in eighth place. Holgado was one of the busier riders in the afternoon session, completing 21 laps as he worked through a clear plan aimed at improving the areas where he and the team had struggled at this circuit last season. His 1m40.709 left him less than half-a-second from Gonzalez’s record pace.

Senna Agius also made a useful step forward in the afternoon. The Australian had been 11th in FP1, a session briefly red-flagged after the engine let go in spectacular fashion his Intact GP machine late in the opening session, but he recovered to ninth in Practice with a 1m40.718. That was safely inside the top 14 and puts him directly into Q2.

Celestino Vietti was the major name to miss out. The Italian, third in the championship and coming off consecutive second-place finishes, was left 18th after spending the closing stages in the box with what appeared to be a technical issue. He will have to come through Q1 on Saturday.

Jacob Roulstone is also back in the World Championship paddock this weekend, replacing Mario Aji at Honda Team Asia. The Australian finished 28th on Friday.

David Alonso said the day had helped the team refine the package after a few recent weekends where the margins had been costly.

Holgado was also encouraged by the direction of his Friday work.

Balaton Park Moto2 Friday Practice Times

Moto2 Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Nation	Points
1	M. Gonzalez	SPA	129.5
2	I. Guevara	SPA	95
3	C. Vietti	ITA	93
4	S. Agius	AUS	78
5	D. Holgado	SPA	65
6	D. Alonso	COL	58
7	I. Ortola	SPA	52.5
8	A. Lopez	SPA	49.5
9	D. Muñoz	SPA	41
10	C. Veijer	NED	36.5
11	T. Arbolino	ITA	31.5
12	A. Escrig	SPA	30
13	F. Salac	CZE	30
14	B. Baltus	BEL	24
15	J. Roberts	USA	18
16	D. Öncü	TUR	15.5
17	A. Canet	SPA	13.5
18	A. Huertas	SPA	12
19	A. Sasaki	JPN	8
20	J. A. Rueda	SPA	8
21	L. Lunetta	ITA	7
22	S. Garcia	SPA	5
23	Z. vd Goorbergh	NED	5
24	M. Aji	INA	3
25	A. Ferrandez	SPA	1.5
26	T. Furusato	JPN	0
27	M. Ramirez	SPA	0
28	U. Orradre	SPA	0
29	J. Navarro	SPA	0
30	D. Foggia	ITA	0
31	X. Zurutuza	SPA	0

Moto3

Maximo Quiles bounced back from a quieter Mugello weekend by topping Moto3 Practice at Balaton Park, the CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar rider ending Friday more than three-tenths clear of the field.

Quiles already had a useful reference point for the Hungarian venue, having won at Balaton Park last season, and he looked comfortable from his first laps on Friday. That experience showed as the Spaniard quickly adapted to the opening day rhythm and then lifted the pace in the afternoon.

The wind made conditions more awkward for the Moto3 field later in the day, but Quiles still improved on his morning time by almost a second and a half. His 1m46.296 left him clear of Veda Pratama, who took top Honda honours in second, while David Almansa backed up his FP1 pace by finishing third.

Quiles’ advantage also came at a circuit where slipstream games may not be quite as decisive as at some other venues. That could give riders with genuine single-lap pace a better chance of working alone in qualifying, although Moto3 Saturdays rarely stay orderly for long.

David Muñoz was fourth, while Joel Kelso completed a strong Friday for the Australian contingent by putting the GRYD – MLav Racing Honda fifth. Kelso had also been fifth in FP1, giving him a solid base heading into Saturday.

Casey O’Gorman was sixth, ahead of Adrian Fernandez, Rico Salmela and Guido Pini. Pini’s ninth place was enough to move him straight into Q2 for the first time since the European leg of the season began.

Marco Morelli completed the top ten for CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar on his first visit to the Hungarian circuit. Morelli’s Friday began with a more measured approach than Quiles, with the Argentine focused on learning the layout and finding references rather than chasing lap time immediately. By the end of FP1 he was already within a tenth of the top ten, then improved in the afternoon to a 1m46.987 and secured direct Q2 entry alongside his team-mate.

Alvaro Carpe was 13th and just inside the direct Q2 cut, while recent winner Brian Uriarte could only manage 18th and will have to come through Q1. New Zealander Cormac Buchanan was 19th, one place ahead of Eddie O’Shea.

Quiles said Balaton Park suits both his riding and his preferred qualifying approach.

Balaton Park Moto3 Friday Practice Times

Moto3 Championship Standings

Pos	Rider	Nation	Points
1	M. Quiles	SPA	145
2	A. Carpe	SPA	93
3	A. Fernandez	SPA	89
4	B. Uriarte	SPA	67
5	V. Pratama	INA	66
6	M. Morelli	ARG	61
7	V. Perrone	ARG	56
8	D. Almansa	SPA	52
9	G. Pini	ITA	47
10	D. Muñoz	SPA	47
11	H. Danish	MAL	43
12	J. Esteban	SPA	35
13	M. Bertelle	ITA	29
14	E. O’Shea	GBR	29
15	A. Cruces	SPA	26
16	C. O’Gorman	IRL	22
17	R. Salmela	FIN	21
18	J. Kelso	AUS	15
19	J. Rios	SPA	14
20	S. Ogden	GBR	12
21	R. Yamanaka	JPN	7
22	L. Rammerstorfer	AUT	2
23	M. Uriarte	SPA	2
24	Z. Mitani	JPN	0
25	R. Moodley	RSA	0
26	N. Carraro	ITA	0
27	C. Buchanan	NZE	0

2026 MotoGP Calendar

Rnd	Date	Event	Circuit
1	01 Mar	Thai	Chang International Circuit
2	22 Mar	Brazil*	Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna
3	29 Mar	US	Circuit of the Americas
4	26 Apr	Spain**	Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto
5	10 May	France	Le Mans
6	17 May	Catalonia	Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
7	31 May	Italy	Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello
8	07 Jun	Hungary	Balaton Park Circuit
9	21 Jun	Czech	Automotodrom Brno
10	28 Jun	Netherlands	TT Circuit Assen
11	12 Jul	Germany	Sachsenring
12	09 Aug	GB	Silverstone Circuit
13	30 Aug	Aragon	MotorLand Aragon
14	13 Sep	San Marino	Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
15	20 Sep	Austria	Red Bull Ring-Spielberg
16	04 Oct	Japan	Mobility Resort Motegi
17	11 Oct	Indonesia	Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit
18	25 Oct	Australia	Phillip Island
19	01 Nov	Malaysia	Petronas Sepang International Circuit
20	08 Nov	Qatar	Lusail International Circuit
21	22 Nov	Portugal	Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
22	29 Nov	Valencia	Circuit Ricardo Tormo

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