Marc Marquez secured his pole position in Saturday’s MotoGP qualifying session at Balaton Park in Hungary. Riding his Lenovo Team Ducati Desmosedici GP26 on the dry 2.53-mile (4.08 km) track, Marquez clocked a 1:36.785 to top the 22-rider field.
Pedro Acosta led the rest of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16 with a 1:36.838, while Fermin Aldeguer took the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:37.125 on the BK8 Gresini Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP26.
Two-row qualifiers included Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Ducati’s Fabio Di Giannantonio (1:37.232), Marquez’s team-mate, Francesco Bagnaia (1:37.317) and Aprilia Racing’s Marco Bezzicci (1:37.428).
More from the MotoGP press release:
Marquez vs Acosta decided the pole at Balaton by just 0.053. The stage is set for the show as the #93 returns to the top as Aldegar completes the front row, denying Friday pacesetter Acosta.
Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) vs Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) went to the wire to decide pole position at Balaton Park with the #93 taking first place in the top half of ten. Despite early drama for Marquez at Turn 1, he eventually went on to set a 1.36.785 and deny Acosta by 0.053. Completing the front row is Fermin Aldeguerre (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) giving chase in P3, but three tenths off the top.
Q 1: Late activities above
There were a number of key names in Q1 on the way out – including Barcelona and Mugello stage winner Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team). Honda HRC Castrol held a provisional 1-2 with Bagnaia dropping to P9 after the first few runs – but the #63 then took out the fastest leader as the seconds ticked away on the clock.
That relegated Joan Mir (Honda HRC Castrol) to third, leaving Bagnaia and Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol) to overtake. A late lap from Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) saw the Frenchman lose in the final sector and the challenge weakened, leaving him P15 overall.
Q2: The duel heats up
The drama was immediate in Q2, when Marc Marquez slid out at Turn 1 – a real slide on the low side, no injuries – followed immediately by Fabio Di Giantantonio (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team) with 5m to go in the corner. They both kept running and they both kept running, choosing to stay outside and not go inside.
Meanwhile, after dominating Friday’s practice, there was a familiar name entering red spots in P1: Acosta. The #37 was four-tenths off Martin before another attack, with Marc Marquez in second, still more than two-tenths ahead of Raul Fernandez (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and then Aldeguer – relegating Martin to fifth.
The wiki soon emerged. Acosta was flying and improved his own makeshift pole lap with another slice – then along came Marquez. The #93 was on the pace but didn’t make much of a gap, keeping the fans glued to the screen like he would over the line – and he did. Hundreds of them.
Acosta was still there but couldn’t get it back and then rolled away – leaving Marquez on another hot lap to try and do his best and Diggia the only other rider who looked like he might have something in the locker. Marquez crossed the line 0.006 quicker, and saw Digia fade his lap times. That’s it: it’s the #93 on pole, with Acosta held back by 0.053 seconds, and their pace sets the stage for what could be a fast Classic Sprint this afternoon.
The grid sets the standard
Marquez vs Acosta leading to the grid promises to be a great show, but they have company. Aldeguer moved up to take that P3 for the last time, with Di Gianntonio heading up the row in fourth. Bagnaia went from Q1 to fifth on the grid, with championship leader Marco Bezecchi (Aprilia Racing) sixth outside the second row. After showing some serious speed in the first two sectors, a mistake and fading time on a lap in sector 3 showed the #72 looking for more in the seed cut.
Fernandez joined Martin for seventh, with Marini taking P9 after coming through Q1. Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) takes P10 and looks to move forward, as does Diogo Moreira (Pro Honda LCR) from P11. Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) completes the Q2 runners-up in P12, starting ahead of Mir after the #36 left in Q1.
Find the full results of the Hungarian MotoGP qualifiers here And get ready for more. The stage is set. The Mugello racers will fight it out again but this time for victory? Tune in for the Tissot Sprint from Hungary at 15:00 (UTC+2) before the GP race goes green at 14:00 on Sunday!
Post MotoGP: M. Marquez on pole position in Hungary It appeared at first Roadracing World Magazine | Motorcycle riding, racing and technology news.
 track, Marquez turned a 1:36.785 to top the 22-rider field. Pedro Acosta was the best of the rest with a 1:36.838 on his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16, and Fermin Aldeguer claimed the third and final spot on the front row with a 1:37.125 on his BK8 Gresini Racing Ducati Desmosedici GP26. Row-two qualifiers included Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Ducati’s Fabio Di Giannantonio (1:37.232), Marquez's teammate, Francesco Bagnaia (1:37.317) and Aprilia Racing's Marco Bezzecchi (1:37.428). More from a press release issued by MotoGP: Marquez vs Acosta decides pole by just 0.053 at Balaton. The stage is set for a showdown as the #93 gets back on top, denying Friday pacesetter Acosta as Aldeguer completes the front row. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) vs Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory){kind=link}