Overview

• Championship leader Marc Marquez arrives on a long winning run and predicts a tightly packed field on the compact new circuit.
• Michelin adds a third rear option and brings three symmetric fronts, with asymmetric rears reinforced on the left to handle expected 55–60°C track temps.
• Ducati’s early-August Panigale familiarisation offers a small first-day edge that both Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia say could diminish as rivals adapt.
• The 17-turn, stop-and-go track debuts with a new chicane and reworked final sector, and riders expect multiple heavy-braking overtaking zones.
• Tech3 stand-in Pol Espargaro is the only rider with prior MotoGP laps at Balaton Park, and teams are wary of opening-corner risks highlighted during WorldSBK’s recent visit.