Marco Bezzecchi
Pedro Acosta has revealed that he was left ‘surprised’ by Marc Marquez during Friday’s sessions in Hungary.
On Friday, the 2026 MotoGP season resumed with the Hungarian Grand Prix, taking place around the Balaton Park Circuit.
During FP1, seven-time world champion Marquez went fastest, with Raul Fernandez and Acosta completing the top three.
Later in the day, it was Acosta who topped practice ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Fernandez.
Pedro Acosta set a dominant pace in practice at the Hungarian GP 😮💨 Who will join the top 10 for Q2?
Pedro Acosta reveals what ‘surprised’ him about Marc Marquez
Although he has shown good pace around the Balaton Park Circuit on Friday, Acosta revealed that he was left ‘surprised’ by Marquez.
Speaking at the end of the day, Acosta stated that he is happy with his race pace, but claimed that he was surprised by Marquez’s pace on the medium tyres.
As per Speedweek, Acosta said: “My race pace wasn’t bad with the soft tyre. But Marc really surprised me with how fast he was on the medium tyre.
“Last year, I raced here on the soft tyre, while Marc used the medium. It looks like we’re using different strategies. We need to improve our race pace a bit more.
“In terms of lap times, it might be my best Friday, but not in terms of feeling. Feeling isn’t about numbers or lap times.
“I just need to get these question marks out of my head. It’s true: I feel better here than in Mugello – but the difference is still just too big.”
What are your thoughts on the Hungaroring hosting the Hungarian Grand Prix next year?
Francesco Bagnaia has hinted that Balaton Park will be dropped from the calendar after 2026
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Acosta also stated that there are questions to be answered heading into Saturday’s sessions, especially with his bike’s performance.
He added: “Let’s see what tomorrow brings. Saturday is a question mark. It’s strange for us to understand why we’re fast in Barcelona, then really slow in Mugello, and then fast again here.
“We really need to figure that out. If we don’t, it will be difficult to have a consistent year and achieve our ultimate goal – to compete for the World Championship.
“Here I can use the KTM’s strong points much better than in Mugello. We also don’t have any problems with a long straight here, which makes life much easier and helps me a lot.”
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