Marc Marquez wins Hungarian MotoGP for seventh straight victory

BALATONFOKAJAR, Hungary: Ducati’s Marc Marquez delivered a masterclass at the Balaton Park Circuit on Sunday, winning the first Hungarian Grand Prix in 33 years to secure his seventh straight sprint-race double and stretch his championship lead to a commanding 175 points.

KTM’s Pedro Acosta and Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi joined Marquez on the podium as reigning champion Jorge Martin came fourth — his best finish on the Aprilia since his return from injuries.

Gresini Racing’s Alex Marquez, second in the championship behind his brother, could only manage 14th place after an early fall.

Against the picturesque backdrop of the largest lake in central Europe, polesitter Marquez lost the lead on lap one to drop out of the podium positions but his tyre strategy proved decisive.

Having clinched his 13th sprint victory of the season on Saturday, Marquez had another good launch to lead into turn one.

But Bezzecchi took the lead on the next turn, as Marquez made contact with the Aprilia and lost speed to drop to fourth.

“Luckily, for both of us, I was able to save the crash and he just continued his way. But from that point the race changed a bit,” Marquez said.

Bezzecchi and second-placed Franco Morbidelli were on soft rear tyres while Marquez was on the medium compound, with the Spaniard easily climbing to second once his tyres were fully warmed up.

Acosta also made a smooth overtake on Morbidelli to move up to third but he had a gap of nearly two seconds to Marquez, who had virtually erased Bezzecchi’s lead as they constantly exchanged overtakes.

Marquez patiently bided his time, staying on Bezzecchi’s rear wheel. The inevitable moment came on lap 11 when he pounced, using the Aprilia’s slipstream to reclaim the lead before streaking away.

“When I saw that the soft rear tyres started to drop, I was with the medium, I started to attack,” he said. “I had a super nice rhythm. I was flowing on the track.”

Five laps later, Acosta attacked Bezzecchi on the same straight heading into turn one, guiding his KTM past the Aprilia on the inside and carrying that momentum into the next turn to take second.

“I needed the extra grip from the soft (tyre) in braking so I risked it with the soft. But for us, maybe it was better (to use) the medium,” said Bezzecchi.

Although Acosta had Marquez in his sights, the six-times champion found another gear towards the end of the race and extended his lead to over three seconds.

However, he was happy with second place after destroying his bike in a qualifying crash.

“I just want to thank every one of them because yesterday they were working until 2 a.m. in the morning to just bring two completely new bikes for this (race),” Acosta said.

The Aprilia garage was all smiles when Martin, who started 16th on the grid, set a fastest lap before finishing fourth — suggesting that struggles with injuries are behind him.