Where do we start? The Michelin® Grand Prix of Hungary delivered stunning action and unpredictable results throughout the field. Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) worked hard in the opening laps, eventually hitting the front and stretching an advantage. After a rollercoaster weekend, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) claimed a solid second place, finishing just 4.314 seconds behind Marc Marquez. Acosta would finish ahead of Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing), who completed the podium in third. After an unforgettable trip to Balaton Park, let’s dive into the hottest talking points!

"I made a mistake"

It was another crucial win for Marc Marquez, who extended his Championship lead to an astonishing 175 points after Round 14 of the season. The #93 was impressive throughout, locking horns with Marco Bezzecchi in the opening laps before the decisive move on Lap 11. At the chequered flag, Marc Marquez pulled four seconds clear, cementing his place as the rider to beat. Following another thrilling Grand Prix, the Spaniard gave his reaction to victory and THAT moment at Turn 2.

Marc Marquez: "At Turn 2, I made a mistake. Because the rider behind always needs to control what’s going on in front, I expected that he would have more corner speed. In fact, when I opened the gas, I saw that he was even closing the line more. I tried to roll, but I couldn’t avoid contact.

"It’s true that we will arrive at circuits, which could be the next race in Catalunya, where I will not be the fastest out there, but it’s there, and we need to accept it. We will see. Honestly speaking, yesterday we were with the Spanish journalists and they told me some of the numbers, and I hope and wish to have the first match point in Japan or Indonesia because if I have it in Misano, it means that my brother has had a disastrous weekend in Catalunya, and I wish the best for him."

"Sometimes I need to cool down"

Pedro Acosta had a busy weekend full of highs and lows, ultimately fighting his way to second position at the chequered flag. After an early Q2 crash, Acosta would bring his RC16 to P7 on the grid, with the rollercoaster weekend continuing following a crash in Saturday’s Sprint – leading to a busy day for his mechanics. However, their hard work would pay off on Sunday, with the #37 climbing his way up the order, giving Acosta plenty to reflect on.

Acosta: "Everything was feeling quite easy on Friday, and then Saturday was completely a disaster. Sometimes I need to cool down a bit and try to achieve a normal result. I think in this track, qualifying far from the first row was more of an issue than other things. We have to be happy because after that, the mechanics had to give me two new bikes from the two crashes that I had on Friday and Saturday.

"Now the bike is calmer. It’s easier to ride. For sure, we have more room to make mistakes. Before that, the slightest mistake you make, you’re already on the floor. For this, we are getting better. We have more room to play. Our setup has become better in the last couple of weekends."

"My pace was not that good"

Marco Bezzecchi secured his third consecutive Sunday podium, once again challenging Marc Marquez and fighting with Acosta. It was an important result for the Italian, who continues to close the gap to third in the Championship standings. Bezzecchi found some positives, but described Round 14 as "not a bad weekend". With the dust settled, the #72 reflected on his Grand Prix in full.

Bezzecchi: "At the end of the weekend, everything was okay, but on Friday, we started with many, many troubles. It was nice to have a good Saturday again, with a good Q1 that was really nice, and also to start on the first row. I think that is the key for this track to be able to try to fight at least for the podium, because my pace was not that good. Compared to Austria, I think I was quite a bit slower. So to make this performance, to be honest, I’m very happy. I did my best, so I can’t complain."

"They say you cannot overtake, but I overtook 12 riders"

Simply put, it was a heroic ride for Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) on Sunday, starting from P16 on the grid to an incredible P4. Martin claimed his best result of the season, showing his emotions after a positive step forward for the Aprilia team, who secured a significant points haul. The #1 is beginning to feel at home and is super motivated, with Martin aiming to eventually take Aprilia to the top step. However, there are still no expectations, with the reigning World Champion discussing his Grand Prix and his thoughts on Balaton Park.

Martin: "I don't want to have any expectations. I just want to continue to learn the bike and continue to understand how to be better. And that's it. Today I had no expectations, and I was fourth, close to the podium. Maybe next race I am on the podium, or going for victory, I don't know. I will do my 100%, but I don't want to do more than what I can. Today, I could have gone for the podium and crashed. But I prefer to finish fourth and build a solid base for the future.

"I love it. It's fantastic. People are arguing because they say you cannot overtake, but I overtook 12 riders. So I guess it's good for racing."

"I made many mistakes"

It was a difficult weekend for two key contenders, with Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) scoring just two points on Sunday following a crash in the opening laps. The #73 described it as "a weekend to forget" as he now turns his attention to Barcelona.  Elsewhere, Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team) finished down in ninth, battling with Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech3) in the closing laps. However, despite the result, Bagnaia leaves the weekend with plenty of positives after finding a further step in terms of feeling on the bike.

Alex Marquez: "I lost the front there, so yeah, it was just a weekend to forget, and that’s it. I mean, I made many mistakes, and I'm the first one who thinks that this weekend I was also on the level. We need to keep going, improving at tracks which are not made for me, but we need to be more complete in the future, as if we want to fight for good things, we also need to be fast on these tracks. So, we were not good this weekend, and we just need to learn from this situation."

Bagnaia: "I'm quite happy, not for the results, but for the feeling. I was able to ride my bike and not be ridden by the bike. So it was a good race, in terms of feeling. I just made two mistakes. I was wide twice, because I was feeling so good that I was trying to force more, and for the first time. So I overbraked, and this is a good sign. So I'm happy."