Marco Bezzecchi
Brad Binder saw another qualifying session slip away from him as he crashed out of Q1, but he wasn’t the only rider who was lacking confidence in their one-lap pace, according to MotoGP pundit Neil Hodgson.
The South African rider will start from P17 in the Sprint race and Grand Prix, with his performance in the single-lap shootout showcasing a clear gap between himself and KTM flag-bearer, Pedro Acosta.
Brad Binder crashes to end another dismal Q1 😬 Will he ever out-qualify Pedro Acosta in 2026?
Binder is yet to outqualify the young Murcian rider since Acosta was given a factory ride at KTM last year. Quite a stark statistic, especially when considering the qualifying session at Balaton Park marked the 30th time that Acosta has led his more experienced teammate.
Binder’s lack of confidence in qualifying has been a worrying trend for a long while now, but Neil Hodgson spotted another rider suffering from a similar issue during their own disappointing result at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
- READ MORE: Neil Hodgson says Brad Binder must fix his MotoGP ‘Achilles heel’ or risk losing his seat for 2027
Neil Hodgson puzzled by Franco Morbidelli’s form at the Hungarian Grand Prix
During TNT Sports’ coverage of qualifying at Balaton Park, MotoGP pundit Neil Hodgson drew attention to another rider who has been struggling since the commencement of the current campaign: Franco Morbidelli.
What are your podium predictions for the Hungarian Grand Prix after Marc Marquez takes pole position?
The Italian rider is currently the lowest Ducati rider in the MotoGP standings, currently sitting 96 points adrift of VR46 teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio. His P19 grid slot for the Hungarian GP is also unlikely to aid his case.
“Morbidelli literally hasn’t arrived this weekend,” Hodgson told viewers of the British broadcasters, before adding, “Yesterday, he was so far off the pace. For him, he was just riding around, down in 20th. I kept my eye on him and just kept thinking, ‘What is he doing?'”
The 31-year-old is among the collection of 2026 riders who don’t yet have a ride for next year’s campaign, with Hodgson previously voicing his opinion that Morbidelli is currently looking at a ‘full-time holiday’ in 2027 instead.
As for the reason, the MotoGP pundit nailed it down to a lack of confidence, comparing Morbidelli’s situation to what Binder his currently experiencing at the factory KTM outfit.
“Morbidelli is in a similar situation to what I’ve been saying about Binder,” he continued. “He’s riding around, lost a bit of confidence, and the other riders on the Ducatis are doing a better job than him.
“If you’re Morbidelli, you’re looking at your teammate, who is destroying him.”
Unfortunately for Morbidelli, Di Giannantonio’s one-lap pace was strong yet again at Balaton Park, with the leading VR46 ace securing a P4 grid slot for the Hungarian GP.
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