Marc Márquez Seals Seventh Straight Motogp Sprint-race Double In Hungary

Marc Márquez delivered a masterclass astatine nan Balaton Park Circuit connected Sunday to triumph nan first Hungarian Grand Prix successful 33 years. The Ducati rider secured his seventh consecutive sprint-race double and stretched his world title lead to 175 points.

KTM’s Pedro Acosta and Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi joined Márquez connected nan podium arsenic nan defending world champion, Jorge Martín, came 4th – his champion decorativeness connected nan Aprilia since his return from injury.

Against nan picturesque backdrop of Lake Balaton, pole-sitter Marquez mislaid his lead connected thigh 1 to driblet retired of nan podium positions but his tyre strategy proved decisive. His younger brother, Álex Márquez (Gresini Racing), 2nd successful nan wide standings down his older brother, could only negociate 14th spot aft an early fall.

Having clinched his 13th sprint triumph of nan play connected Saturday, Marc Márquez recovered different bully motorboat successful nan main title to lead into move one. Bezzecchi took nan lead connected nan adjacent turn, though, arsenic Márquez made interaction pinch nan Aprilia and mislaid velocity to driblet to fourth.

“Luckily, for some of us, I was capable to prevention nan clang and he conscionable continued his way. But from that constituent nan title changed a bit,” Márquez said afterwards.

Marc Márquez celebrates his triumph successful Hungary. Photograph: Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images

Bezzecchi and second-placed Franco Morbidelli (Ducati) were connected soft rear tyres while Márquez was connected nan mean compound, pinch nan Spaniard easy climbing to 2nd erstwhile his tyres were afloat warmed up. Acosta besides made a soft overtake connected Morbidelli to move up to 3rd but he had a spread of astir 2 seconds to Márquez.

The title leader had virtually erased Bezzecchi’s lead arsenic they perpetually exchanged overtakes, earlier Márquez opted to enactment connected nan Italian’s rear wheel. The inevitable infinitesimal came connected thigh 11 erstwhile he pounced, utilizing Bezzecchi’s slipstream to reclaim nan lead earlier streaking away.

“When I saw that nan soft rear tyres started to drop, I was pinch nan medium, I started to attack,” Márquez said. “I had a ace bully rhythm. I was flowing connected nan track.” Bezzecchi admitted his team’s strategy did not salary off. “I needed nan other grip successful braking truthful I risked it pinch nan soft. But possibly it was amended [to use] nan medium.”

Five laps later, Acosta attacked Bezzecchi connected nan aforesaid consecutive heading into move one, guiding his KTM down nan wrong and carrying that momentum into nan adjacent move to return second. Acosta had Márquez successful his sights but nan six-times champion recovered different cogwheel towards nan extremity of nan race, extending his lead to complete 3 seconds.

Acosta was yet happy pinch 2nd spot aft destroying his motorcycle successful a qualifying crash. “I conscionable want to convey each 1 of [my team] because yesterday they were moving until 2am to conscionable bring 2 wholly caller bikes for this [race],” nan Spaniard said.

The Aprilia car shed were each smiles erstwhile Martín, who started 16th connected nan grid, group a fastest thigh earlier finishing fourth. The 2024 world champion has struggled since a superior clang successful Qatar, but this consequence suggests those struggles whitethorn beryllium down him.