Winners and Losers: 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix
- Silvia Cojocaru
- 3 minutes ago
- 4 min read
MotoGP returned to Balaton Park for the second time in history and delivered some unexpected results. From more exciting milestones to complete heartbreak, these are the winners and losers from the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Winner: Marc Márquez
A return to the dominant form we came to expect from the reigning world champion, Marc Márquez. The Spaniard impressed the entire weekend, from claiming the 104th career pole position and another sprint win on Saturday to his 100th victory in MotoGP on Sunday.
This is particularly impressive considering that the Hungarian Grand Prix marked just the second race that the Spaniard took part in after the injury he suffered in France. The Ducati rider was seen multiple times during the weekend complaining about pain still persisting in his right shoulder, but this did not seem to affect his performance.
Marc Márquez proved once again that he can never be ruled out of the competition. Now 72 points away from the championship leader, it may not be too late for Marc Márquez to challenge Marco Bezzecchi.
Winner: Pedro Acosta
While his maiden win is yet to come, Pedro Acosta came close to the first step of the podium once again in both races at Balaton Park this weekend.
The Spaniard finished second in qualifying, the sprint race and the Grand Prix, each time behind Marc Márquez. During the race, Acosta managed to take the lead early on after the reigning world champion briefly lost control of his bike after the start.
The Ducati rider reclaimed the lead on Lap 17, and from that point forward Acosta couldn’t intervene. Still, this marks a potential return to form for the young KTM rider who now rejoins the title fight just six points off of Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Winner: Diogo Moreira
The rookie managed one of his strongest MotoGP weekends so far at one of the most difficult tracks on the calendar. The Brazilian rider scored points in both the sprint race and the Grand Prix, finishing seventh and sixth, respectively.
This is also an encouraging performance for the LCR team, which momentarily lost Johann Zarco after he suffered a serious injury in Catalonia. Under these circumstances, the Brazilian rider has to prove to the team that he can become a proper leader.
And Moreira’s performance in Hungary definitely showed the team just that. LCR can trust him in the future, as the young rider started to show great maturity in his racing style and decision-making.
Loser: Fabio Di Giannantonio
After managing some incredible performances this season, Di Giannantonio disappointingly leaves Balaton Park with zero points.
The VR46 rider is lucky that both Aprilia riders at the top of the championship only managed to score points in the sprint. But Di Giannantonio will now begin to feel some pressure from Acosta.
The KTM rider is now only six points away from the Italian rider and will have great momentum going into Czechia. Will Di Giannantonio be able to live up to the challenge?
Loser: Aprilia Racing
Aprilia began the weekend with a decent result in the sprint race, with Bezzecchi claiming third place and Jorge Martín sixth. However, their good fortune from the start of the season would finally come to an end in the Grand Prix.
A costly mistake made by Martín on the first lap of the race caused a big crash that took out both his teammate and Trackhouse rider Raúl Fernández.
Fortunately for both Bezzecchi and Aprilia, Di Giannantonio was also affected by the crash and only finished outside the points. This means that the Italian manufacturer still has both its riders in the lead of the Riders’ Championship.
While Aprilia is still leading the Constructors’ Championship, the multiple instances in which their riders take down one another during races might start to affect them now that Marc Márquez has returned to racing.
Loser: Fabio Quartararo
While others managed to take advantage of the chaos ahead, Fabio Quartararo couldn’t seem to keep up with the rest of the pack. The Frenchman briefly ran in seventh place during the first few laps, but he rapidly started to lose positions.
On Lap 22, he was forced to retire from the session, marking another disappointing result for the Yamaha team.
The sprint race didn’t bring any better results, with Quartararo only finishing P17, meaning that the 2021 world champion leaves Hungary with zero points.
How will MotoGP surprise us next? Tune in next week to witness the exciting action at the Czech Grand Prix, on 21st June at 15.00 track time (13.00 GMT)!
Edited by Dhara Dave
