MotoGP qualifying results as Marc Marquez scores Hungarian Grand Prix pole by 0.053s to Pedro Acosta

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Ducati ace Marc Marquez scored pole position for the 2026 MotoGP Hungarian Grand Prix, as he edged KTM rival Pedro Acosta by small margins in qualifying this Saturday.

Acosta took up the challenge from the start in qualifying after an early mistake by Marquez, which left the reigning MotoGP champion playing catch-up in Q2. But the KTM rival made a late mistake of his own, which ultimately cost him the chance to deny the Ducati rider pole.

Qualifying was largely a Ducati show, with four Desmosedicis locking out the top five places interrupted by Acosta’s KTM RC16. Championship leader Marco Bezzecchi of Aprilia only set the sixth-best time in qualifying, while teammate Jorge Martin could also only manage P8.

Marc Marquez claims his second pole of 2026 at the Hungarian GP! Can he hang on for his first Grand Prix win?

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Marc Marquez scores pole position for the Hungarian GP at Balaton Park

Balaton Park is widely disliked among the MotoGP riders and it presents very few redeeming features. Turn 1 is also a very tight and flat right-hander, yet it caught Ducati’s Marc Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio of VR46 out at the start of Q1 in qualifying for the Hungarian GP.

Marquez knew that he did not have the best line for Turn 1 and carried very little speed into the apex, yet he lost the front end of his Ducati GP26 as he tried to turn in. Di Giannantonio also hit the deck into Turn 1 moments later, as he lost the front of his GP26 while turning in.

While the Spaniard and the Italian gathered themselves, KTM ace Pedro Acosta set the early pace with a 1:37.419 ahead of Ducati star Francesco Bagnaia by 0.331s. Acosta continued to lower the pace, too, with a 1:37.228 to hold a 0.431s gap as Aprilia’s Jorge Martin improved.

It takes some riders time to build their pace over a couple of laps around Balaton Park, and that included Marquez after his early crash. The reigning champion rose to P2 right before the mid-session lull, having fallen to 11th while his rivals started to show their early hands.

Come the second runs, it was again Acosta who led the charge as he lowered the pace to a 1:36.888. Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer also started to show some potential aboard his Ducati GP25, albeit 0.354s down on Acosta’s fastest time, and VR46’s Di Giannantonio rose to third.

Di Giannantonio even moved his Ducati GP26 up to second with a 1.37.232, only for factory Ducati ace Marquez to take over provisional pole for the Hungarian GP with a 1.36.791 lap. Acosta tried to reply to Marquez’s time, yet he rushed the last chicane to lap 0.047s slower.

Without the mistake, Acosta would have likely scored pole position for the Hungarian GP, as Marquez could only lower his own benchmark pace to a 1:36.785. Aldeguer was also on the move, as he rose to third place with a 1:37.125, but no one could rival Marquez on Saturday.

What are your podium predictions for the Hungarian Grand Prix after Marc Marquez takes pole position?

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Francesco Bagnaia advances from Q1 in qualifying at Balaton Park

An array of riders who arguably stood a chance of advancing from Q1 had to go through the first stage of qualifying for the 2026 Hungarian GP, including Ducati ace Francesco Bagnaia after his issues with a lack of rear grip in practice at Balaton Park over Friday’s two sessions.

Pramac pilot Toprak Razgatlioglu has also looked the most competitive he has been so far in his fledgling MotoGP career this weekend, having loved his trip to Balaton Park in the World Superbike Championship last year. The Turk also continued his promising form in qualifying.

Razgatlioglu set the first benchmark lap time during qualifying for the Hungarian GP with his 1:38.074, while several rival riders including Bagnaia struggled to find their braking points at first. But Enea Bastianini of KTM Tech3 quickly lowered the benchmark pace to a 1:37.815.

Frustrations were also starting to grow for works Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo, as the rear-end of the 2021 champion’s YZR-M1 kept sliding and left him below Razgatlioglu in the early order. Even Gresini’s injury stand-in Iker Lecuona was faster than Quartararo in the first runs.

Lecuona is deputising for Gresini while Alex Marquez recovers from the injuries he sustained in Barcelona and was only 0.075s below the cut line after the first Q1 runs. The Ducati World Superbike racer also continued to find time aboard his GP26 at the start of the second runs.

But Honda’s Luca Marini was the first man to move the benchmark with a 1:37.594, only for Bagnaia to finally record his first quick lap of the day with a 1:37.443. Qualifying was already over for KTM star Brad Binder, though, as a slow-speed crash at Turn 2 left him in the gravel.

Binder’s fall disturbed a number of riders as they prepared to start their second flying laps. And while Honda’s Joan Mir was able to improve his pace, the Spaniard’s effort left him P3 and 0.162s shy of the split, as teammate Marini reached Q2 for the first time in five rounds.

Quartararo also improved his pace in the closing seconds of Q1, but he could not advance to the second phase of qualifying for the Hungarian GP. The Frenchman overcame his stability issues to be the lead Yamaha rider, but he was only 0.059s faster than Lecuona’s fastest lap.

Full 2026 MotoGP Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying results at Balaton Park