Marco Bezzecchi
Marc Marquez earned pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix at Balaton Park, as the Ducati rider won a qualifying session for the eighth time during the 2025 season.
MotoGP has made its maiden visit to Balaton Park this weekend for the first Hungarian GP in 32 years. Yet the new track on the MotoGP calendar did not yield a surprise pole winner this Saturday, as Ducati ace Marquez beat Aprilia rival Marco Bezzecchi by 0.290 seconds in Q2.
Bezzecchi scored pole for the Austrian Grand Prix last weekend, but he was no match for the 2025 champion-elect at Balaton Park as Marquez set a 1:36.518 to top qualifying. Aprilia ace Bezzecchi was also slower in Q2 than he was in Q1, with a 1:36.808 compared to a 1:36.800.
Both riders who advanced from Q1 also joined Marquez in the top three during Q2, as VR46 star Fabio Di Giannantonio set a 1:36.872 after advancing from the first part with a 1:37.047. Bezzecchi’s Q1 time was also 0.296s faster than the best lap by Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia.
MotoGP fans call Marc Marquez the ‘GOAT’ after taking pole for the Hungarian Grand Prix
Bagnaia failed to advance from Q1 at Balaton Park, making the Hungarian GP the first round of the 2025 MotoGP season in which the factory Ducati rider has failed to reach Q2. But the Borgo Panigale brand had plenty to celebrate this Saturday, thanks to Marquez scoring pole.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Marc Marquez from net worth to girlfriend
Marquez has now secured pole position for the Grands Prix in Thailand, Argentina, America, Qatar, Aragon, Italy (Mugello), Germany and Hungary this year. He would likely have also set pole in Czechia, but Marquez crashed in Q2 at Brno whilst quicker than Bagnaia’s pole time.
Seeing Marquez take his eighth pole of 2025 at the Hungarian GP also saw MotoGP fans hail the six-time premier class champion as the greatest of all time. One fan claimed on X: “I’m a Marc Marquez fan, and even I can’t believe how good this guy is. He’s literally untouchable!”
Another fan also claimed: “Marc is an alien”. While another wrote: “Marc the goat, back on pole! Diggia [in] P3 [and] two GP25s locking [out] the front row. Pecco stuck in row five! No excuses, he just doesn’t have the champion edge this season.”
Numerous MotoGP fans also simply called Marquez the “GOAT” or an “Alien”. Additionally, another fan suggested: “Marc Marquez [is] the best rider in history.” Another fan also said: “Unbelievable! The fastest rider, on the fastest bike.”
Marc Marquez has scored eight pole positions since joining the factory Ducati team
Marquez now boasts 57% of the pole positions thus far this season since joining the factory Ducati team from Gresini ahead of the 2025 campaign. Only Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo (4), Ducati’s Bagnaia and Aprilia’s Bezzecchi (1) also got a pole position over the first 14 rounds.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Ducati from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy
Winning qualifying for the Hungarian GP, for the first-ever MotoGP pole position at Balaton Park, also marks the 74th pole position that Marquez has scored in his premier class career. He continues to pull clear of Mick Doohan (58) and Valentino Rossi (55) in the record books.
Marquez will now hope to convert pole position at Balaton Park into victory in the first-ever MotoGP Hungarian GP at the track near Balatonfokajar. The Cervera native currently boasts 71 premier class Grand Prix victories from 202 races since his debut during the 2013 season.
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