Overview
- Balaton Park hosts its first MotoGP round 33 years after the series last raced in Hungary, introducing a 4.08 km, 17‑turn circuit with a narrow, technical profile that limits overtaking and funnels the field at Turn 1.
- Championship leader Marc Márquez arrives with a 142‑point cushion over Álex Márquez and 197 over Pecco Bagnaia, with his record of adapting quickly to new tracks making him the pre‑event favorite.
- Ducati held a private Panigale V4 test at the venue in early August; leaked times indicated Bagnaia was quickest on a lap while Márquez showed strong longer‑run pace, an advantage teams expect to matter most in initial sessions.
- Entry list changes include Pol Espargaró stepping in for the injured Maverick Viñales at KTM, while Aleix Espargaró is sidelined by an L3 vertebra injury sustained in a bicycle crash.
- Form riders to watch include Fermín Aldeguer after finishing second in Austria, Pedro Acosta with consistent front‑running pace, and Marco Bezzecchi, who arrives on an upswing with Aprilia.