Marc Marquez led the Sprint race at the Hungarian Grand Prix from start to finish, with the narrow and winding nature of the Balaton Park circuit proving to be a tough cookie to crack in terms of making overtaking attempts stick.
Marquez’s Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia had yet another poor showing for the factory team, languishing in 13th place, over 14 seconds behind his championship-leading teammate.
FPositionRiderTeamTime/Gap1Marc MarquezDucati Lenovo21:13.4652Fabio Di GiannantonioVR46 Racing+2.0953Franco MorbidelliVR46 Racing+3.5954Luca MariniHonda HRC+4.8905Fermin AldeguerGresini Racing+5.692Top five finishers in the Hungarian Grand Prix Sprint
Ducati are running out of patience with Bagnaia after another dismal performance. The Italian rider has had a weekend to forget, with his exit in Q1 marking the first time that Bagnaia has been booted out of the first qualifying session all year.
However, one of the biggest talking points of the Sprint race at the latest addition to the MotoGP calendar was the lack of overtaking opportunities for riders who were locked in battle.
The race saw a number of riders forced off the track in attempts to best their rivals ahead of them, with only one overtake occurring within the top six riders throughout the entire race.
READ MORE: The key MotoGP rule changes you need to know about for the 2025 season
Alex Marquez’s failed overtake on Pol Espargaro in the Sprint showed the ‘reality’ of Balaton Park
Commentating over the Sprint race for TNT Sports, Neil Hodgson highlighted Alex Marquez’s failed overtake on Pol Espargaro at turn eight as being a ‘graphic example’ of how difficult it is for MotoGP machinery to overtake on the Hungarian circuit.
“There’s no way he can dare! Is he going to go wide?” Hodgson exclaimed as Marquez shot down the inside of Espargaro’s KTM bike.
Upon Marquez then going wide and conceding the position back to the substitute rider, Hodgson continued, “And that is the reality.
Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images
“That is a graphic example of what we’ve talked about all weekend about that has shown if you’re trying to outbrake someone into these corners, you lose time.”
The Spaniard, who currently sits second in the riders’ standings, later pulled off the move on his compatriot but was unable to work his way through the field after starting from 11th place on the grid.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Alex Marquez from net worth to career stats
Neil Hodgson agrees with Luca Marini’s assessment of Balaton Park
After observing a number of failed overtaking attempts, fellow TNT Sports commentator Gavin Emmett recalled what Honda rider Luca Marini said in the post-practice debriefs regarding the amount of overtaking opportunities that Balaton Park has to offer.
Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer had closed in on Marini over the last few laps, but was unable to make a move stick on the Italian rider. Emmett commented on the battle by saying, “He was the rider who said yesterday in the debriefs that overtaking is impossible. Forget it. That was the word. Impossible.”
Hodgson pitched in with his opinion on Marini’s comments, replying, “So far, Luca Marini has been correct with his assessment of his circuit.”
Emmett finished with, “Yes, any move has been a mistake up to now.”
Aldeguer was unable to pass Marini before the chequered flag, with both riders finishing just off the podium in fifth and fourth, respectively.