MotoGP Recap - the perfect weekend for Marc Marquez at the Grand Prix of Hungary
10 June 2026The weekend at Balaton Park for Round Eight of the 2026 MotoGP season saw the reigning World Champion back on the top step of the Grand Prix podium for the first time in 266 days, celebrating a landmark victory for him and the Ducati Lenovo Team.
Former MotoGP rider Cal Crutchlow continued with LCR Honda this weekend as a replacement rider for the injured Johann Zarco, and WorldSBK rider Iker Lecuona stepped in to ride for the BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP team as Alex Marquez also continues his recovery.
Super Saturday for Marquez as he secures pole position and Sprint win
Despite sliding out at Turn 1 during the opening minutes of Saturday’s Q2 session, Marc Marquez was able to deliver a lap time that saw him take pole position by 0.053 seconds from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pedro Acosta. Lining up third on the grid and completing the front row was Fermin Aldeguer, with his best qualifying result of the 2026 season so far.
Marc Marquez led Saturday afternoon’s Sprint from the first corner to the chequered flag, taking his third Sprint win of 2026. Riding an unbeatable race, Marquez finished 1.5 seconds ahead of Acosta, with Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi taking 3rd. Saturday’s victory marked Marquez’s 18th Sprint win, equalling Jorge Martin’s record for all-time Sprint wins.
Marquez completes perfect weekend with Grand Prix victory
It was a double victory for Marc Marquez as he joined his Sprint win with a Grand Prix victory on Sunday. With Marc Marquez getting the holeshot, Acosta had to act fast to stop Marquez from pulling away. Lap 2 saw Acosta make a bold pass to take the lead, and his first Premier Class victory looked within his sights as he maintained a gap back to Marquez. As the race went on though, Marquez was able to close the gap, and Lap 14 saw a nail-biting battle between the two riders, with Marquez taking back the lead the following lap. Once Marquez hit the front again, there was nothing Acosta could do to keep up with the World Champion’s pace, and Marquez took the chequered flag to celebrate his first Grand Prix win in 266 days, his 100th victory across all classes, and Ducati Lenovo Team’s 100th MotoGP win.
Chaos at Turn 1 of Sunday’s Grand Prix sees Championship contenders out of the race
An incident at the first corner of Sunday’s race saw Jorge Martin, Marco Bezzecchi, Raul Fernandez, Fermin Aldeguer and Fabio Di Giannantonio in the gravel. Di Giannantonio was the only rider involved who was able to rejoin the race, and he impressively made his way through from 18th, 13 seconds behind the next rider, to finishing 12th. The other riders involved were all forced to retire, though thankfully all were confirmed to be without serious injuries. Jorge Martin has been given a double long lap penalty to serve at the next Grand Prix, as he was deemed responsible for the incident.
Gonzalez makes it three Moto2 victories in row
Manuel Gonzalez continued his impressive form by taking his third consecutive victory in Sunday’s Moto2 race. After starting from 4th on the grid, Gonzalez quickly found his way past polesitter Izan Guevara during Lap 1 to get through to 2nd position, and began hunting down race leader Filip Salac. Lap 12 saw Gonzalez successfully make the pass, and continue to lead, finishing the race 1.5 seconds ahead of Salac. Gonzalez’s teammate Senna Agius took the final podium spot, with David Alonso’s late pace proving not quite strong enough to challenge Agius for 3rd.
Quiles back on top in Moto3
After taking the lead during Lap 7 of Sunday’s Moto3 race, Maximo Quiles went on to take his fifth victory of the season, maintaining his position at the top of the Moto3 Championship standings. An exciting battle for 3rd came to a dramatic end during the final lap, as David Muñoz fell, collecting Brian Uriarte who had nowhere to go, as Rico Salmela managed to dodge the incident, with Valentin Perrone was also unable to avoid the collision, which brought out the red flag. Due to this, the results were set according to the previous lap, and due to the incident Muñoz and Perrone were not included. David Almansa therefore took home 2nd, and Alvaro Carpe finished 3rd.
An update provided by Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP confirmed that Muñoz sustained a fracture to his left arm, and fractures to his pelvis. Muñoz has since undergone surgery in Budapest to stabilise the fractures.
Fernandez disqualified from first six Moto3 rounds of 2026
It was announced this weekend that Leopard Racing’s Adrian Fernandez has been disqualified from the first six rounds of the 2026 Moto3 season, after investigations showed “evidence of tampering” with two of Fernandez’s engines. A positive start to the 2026 season had meant Fernandez was sitting 3rd in the Moto3 Championship standings, but due to the sanctions, Fernandez is now 20th after this weekend’s action. Leopard Racing launched an appeal against the decision, which was subsequently rejected.
Next up for the 2026 MotoGP season is the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Czechia, where Marc Marquez secured both the Sprint and Grand Prix victories during the 2025 visit to Automotodrom Brno. Will Marquez be able to capitalise on his form from the Grand Prix of Hungary and continue his winning ways? Or will Aprilia’s Bezzecchi and Martin be ready to prove they’re still the riders to beat this season?
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