Francesco Bagnaia was worried about getting into ‘trouble’ when he was asked one question about Balaton Park

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Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia was among those to test at the brand-new Balaton Park circuit over the summer break. It was a valuable head start ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

The MotoGP season resumes with a back-to-back in Austria and Hungary, where a struggling Bagnaia will look to change the narrative. He was joined in the test by teammate Marc Marquez and back-up rider Michele Pirro as well as the satellite contingent from VR46 and Gresini.

The World Superbikes Championship already visited the circuit at the end of July. 2026 Pramac signing Toprak Razgatlioglu won all three races.

It’s the first time the Grand Prix of Hungary features on the premier class racing calendar since 1992. Both the track and the facilities have been upgraded in preparation.

Guarded Francesco Bagnaia drops ‘very interesting’ verdict on Hungarian Grand Prix circuit

Bagnaia and co. weren’t riding MotoGP machinery, instead using the Panigale V4 S Pro – a nominal street bike. Ducati are in the top bracket of the concessions system, which heavily restricts their in-season testing opportunities.

Even though lap times weren’t as fast as they will be next week, Bagnaia was able to form an initial judgement. Speaking to outlets including GPOne, he admitted that the venue didn’t suit MotoGP bikes.

He says average speeds will be much lower than usual as a safety measure. This will naturally raise concerns among some fans.

“Balaton is a completely different track than all the others,” he said. “Very slow, and I think we’ll have to change the setup of our bikes quite a bit to race there, because the current MotoGP bikes aren’t suited to tracks like that.

“We’ll see how it goes. There’s not much to say. It’s small – I think we’ll go so slowly that having the right set-up or not won’t even be an issue. I don’t think we’ll use sixth gear; I think we’ll go in fifth at most. For safety, we’re going so slowly.

Asked whether riders are calling the track ‘interesting’ to disguise their true feelings, he said: “I don’t want to get into discussions that might get me in trouble. But it’s very interesting.”

Marc Marquez vs Toprak Razgatlioglu at Balaton Park? The lap times are already in

Marquez’s fastest lap of Balaton Park was a 1:41.5. Bagnaia was a shade faster, but his review wasn’t particularly enthusiastic.

Razgatlioglu was around three seconds quicker in the WSBK event, but the MotoGP bikes – the fastest in the series’ history – should set a new benchmark. With the 2027 machinery expected to be one to two seconds slower, now is the moment to rack up the records.

It’s a new challenge for Marquez, who has won at almost every circuit on the calendar. Balaton Park, Mandalika, Portimao and the Red Bull Ring (host of this weekend’s race) are the exceptions.

The Brazilian Grand Prix will be the next addition to the MotoGP calendar in 2026.