Hungary’s Balaton Park awoke to MotoGP riders and their race machines on Friday. How did the hotly-debated new circuit compare to expectations?

Friday was a positive day for Pol Espargaro. KTM’s test rider, who is standing in for the injured Maverick Viñales was a brilliant ninth in Practice. He may have tested the RC16 here previously, handing him a temporary edge. But for the second time in three races, the former Moto2 champ proved he is still more than competitive.

The MotoGP Grand Prix of Hungary takes place at Balaton Park. The 2025 MotoGP Grand Prix of Hungary race starts at 8 a.m. ET on Aug. 24. The MotoGP Grand Prix of Hungary is available to live stream for free on ServusTV.

Championship leader Marc Marquez topped MotoGP’s first Hungarian Grand Prix session in 33 years, which was red flagged for a spectacular Aprilia engine failure. MotoGP returns to Hungary for the first time since 1992 at the new Balaton Park circuit, which hosted World Superbikes last month.

0.006s is the gap splitting Friday pacesetter Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) after an intriguing opening day of action at Balaton Park, as Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) closes out the top three in Practice at the Michelin Grand Prix of Hungary.

MotoGP bikes are already way faster than what WorldSBK managed at the Balaton Park circuit. MotoGP machines have spun their first-ever laps around the newly-built Balaton Park circuit, and they are considerably faster than the best lap time from last month's WorldSBK round.

Pedro Acosta stole the headline lap time from Marc Marquez on day one of MotoGP’s return to Hungary. Pace analysis favours the Ducati rider,

MotoGP: VIDEO - Salucci commented with our Matteo Aglio on Friday's Balaton Park and told a great anecdote: "In 2004, he said that the in-line 4 would last another 20 years... he was right!"

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Francesco Bagnaia told Ducati he was running out of patience after the most recent setback at the Austrian Grand Prix.

MotoGP: Pedro set the best time today in Hungary, but toward the end of pre-qualifying fell while closely following Marc, who trailed him to set the benchmark

SPIELBERG, Austria, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Six-times MotoGP champion Marc Marquez marked the 1,000th premier class race in history by winning the Austrian Grand Prix for the first time in his career to take a mammoth 142-point lead over his brother Alex in the championship.