Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) continued his flawless record on Hungarian soil by securing another Sprint victory at the 2026 MotoGP Hungarian Grand Prix.
Marc Marquez apparently loves racing in Hungary
In only his second race weekend since returning to action, the reigning world champion delivered a commanding lights-to-flag performance.
Starting from pole position, Marquez immediately took control of the race and his position was never threatened.
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crossed the line in second place, while championship leader Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) completed the podium in third, extending his advantage in the standings to 20 points.
Marquez led the field through the opening lap ahead of Acosta, while Bezzecchi made an impressive start, climbing from sixth on the grid to third.
Fermin Aldeguer quickly began applying pressure to the Aprilia rider but was unable to find a way past the Italian.
A lot happened behind the leader’s back
Drama unfolded on Lap 2 when Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) attempted an overtake on Diogo Moreira (LCR Honda) at Turn 9.
The Spaniard braked too late and ran wide, but as he lost enough time in the process, race officials deemed no further action necessary.
A lap later, Aldeguer suffered a major front-end scare at the same corner. Although he managed to stay on his bike, the incident cost him positions, dropping him behind Raul Fernandez (Trackhouse MotoGP Team) into fifth place.
Martin eventually found a way past Moreira on Lap 5, successfully completing the move at Turn 9 and moving up to sixth position.
At the front, Marquez steadily increased his advantage, opening a gap of around two seconds over Acosta as the race entered its second half.
The battle for the final podium spot remained intense in the closing stages. Bezzecchi successfully defended third place from Fernandez despite the Spaniard receiving a track-limits warning.
Aldeguer continued his charge but made another mistake under braking at Turn 5, ending his hopes of fighting for a podium finish and leaving him to settle for fifth.
Still unbeatable in Hungary
Marquez was untouchable until the chequered flag, securing his 18th career Sprint victory and drawing level with Martin on the all-time Sprint wins list.
Acosta collected nine valuable championship points with second place, while Bezzecchi celebrated only his second Sprint podium finish of the season.
Fernandez delivered a strong performance to finish fourth, just 1.2 seconds shy of the podium. Aldeguer followed in fifth, recording his best Sprint result of the year despite missed opportunities.
Martin finished sixth ahead of Moreira and Enea Bastianini (Red Bull KTM Tech3). Starting from 14th on the grid, Bastianini fought his way into eighth position.
The final championship point went to Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team), who edged out Fabio Di Giannantonio (VR46 Racing Team).
Further down the order, Ai Ogura finished 11th, while Toprak Razgatlioglu was the leading Yamaha rider in 13th place for Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP.
With Saturday’s Sprint race completed, attention now turns to Sunday’s main event. The MotoGP Hungarian Grand Prix is scheduled to begin at 14:00 local time (UTC+2).
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