2025 MotoGP: Marquez wins at maiden Balaton Park Hungarian GP

MotoGP returned to Hungary for the first time in over three decades, with the new Balaton Park Circuit making its debut on the calendar. Marc Marquez once again proved unstoppable, recovering from an eventful opening lap to take his seventh consecutive double victory weekend.

1. Marquez extends championship lead to 175 points
2. Marini delivers factory Honda’s best result with P5
3. Martin fights from 16th to finish in P4

Early battle for P1

Marquez recovers from early clash with Bezzecchi to dominate again.

The Hungarian GP began with drama in the opening few corners. Starting from pole, Marc Marquez ran wide into turn 1 while trying to fend off Marco Bezzecchi, who edged ahead into the following left-hander. Marquez immediately attempted to retake the lead, but with little room to pass on the inside, he clipped the rear of the factory Aprilia. The eight-time world champion managed to stay upright, but the incident allowed Franco Morbidelli through, leaving Marquez down in third.

By lap 5, Marquez had dispatched Morbidelli and over the next couple of laps had closed the gap to Bezzecchi. The next few laps were arguably the most entertaining of the race, with Marquez repeatedly probing for a way through, but Bezzecchi, on what is shaping up to be the only machine that can challenge the Ducati, was proving hard to pass. 

Marquez appeared to have the superior pace, particularly through the circuit’s left-handers, which has always been his strong suit. On lap 11, he finally made the decisive move, outbreaking Bezzecchi down a short straight and making it stick. From there, he began to pull away in a fashion we’ve grown familiar with this season, crossing the line 4.314s ahead of P2. Acosta, one of the few riders who looked capable of challenging Marquez earlier in the weekend, finished second after Bezzecchi ran wide into turn 1 and dropped to third.

Fabio Di Giannantonio had qualified third but discovered a technical issue on the sighting lap, forcing him into a pit lane start on his spare bike. His recovery attempt was scrappy, and after a near-crash mid-race he could do no better than P15, salvaging a single point.

Martin’s incredible comeback, Honda’s best finish yet

Reigning champ fights through from 16th, Marini delivers Honda’s season-best result.

After a nightmare start to the season that included a pre-season crash that left him with multiple fractures, and another at Qatar resulting in broken ribs and a collapsed lung, we finally got to see a glimpse of the rider who was crowned 2024 MotoGP champion.

Starting from 16th on the grid, Martin was already up to seventh by the end of the opening lap. His charge continued steadily, helped by a fading Morbidelli and a crash from Fermin Aldeguer, allowing him to climb to a remarkable fourth at the chequered flag. With Aprilia and Bez showing they can take the fight to Ducati over the last couple of weekends, Martin’s performance suggests he could soon be back in podium contention if he continues to rebuild his rhythm.

Balaton Park’s tight layout, criticised for its narrow corners and limited run-off for the MotoGP bikes, created some rather nervy moments. Bastianini, after a strong start in fourth, lost the front at a chicane and slid across the exit, narrowly avoiding the rest of the pack. However, the track’s slower, tighter nature played into Honda’s favour. For a bike that clearly appeared to lack the straight-line power of the KTM, Aprilia, and Ducati, Honda has struggled all year. Here, the manufacturer was able to take advantage of this and Luca Marini delivered a season-best performance for the Japanese marque, crossing the line in P5.

2025 MotoGP standings

Marc now 175 points clear of Alex.

Marc Marquez has stretched his championship lead to 175 points after younger brother and closest rival, Alex Marquez, could only manage 14th, taking home 4 points to Marc’s perfect 37.

At this stage of the season, the narrative has shifted from “what will it take to beat Marc?” to “when will he be crowned champion?” He has scored 87.8 percent of the possible points this year, and his individual tally of 455 points is higher than the combined total of any other team on the grid. Statistically, Marc could sit out the remaining eight rounds and Alex would still need to average 22 points every weekend to beat him. To say Marc Marquez already has one hand on the championship would be an understatement.

2025 Hungarian MotoGP results