Dominant Marquez eager to try something new as MotoGP returns to Hungary

MotoGP returns to Hungary for the first time in 33 years, presenting riders with the challenge of mastering an unfamiliar track — although Ducati gained an edge on their rivals with an unofficial test.

At the start of the month, Ducati took six riders for a test session at the Balaton Park Circuit.

They rode Ducati Panigale commercial superbikes, to sidestep rules limiting testing on MotoGP race bikes.

“This will be a big help,” runaway championship leader Marc Marquez, who rides a factory Ducati said on Thursday.

His partner on Ducati’s flagship team, Francesco Bagnaia added a condition.

“It will be an advantage,” said the Italian. “Maybe just for the first day.”

At 4.08 kilometres (2.54 miles) the Balaton Park Circuit is the second shortest of the 22 tracks in this year’s championship.

Marquez called it a “stop start” track.

“The circuit is not the most difficult one,” he said. “It’s not a very difficult track to learn because it’s small, but I like it.”

“Everyone will be super close.”

Bagnaia agreed.

“The fight will be intense. We have many hotspots where we can overtake.”

Marquez said he was happy with the change of pace the circuit brings.

“It’s a different layout from what we’re used to in the World Championship,” the Spaniard said. But in 22 races we need to have different layouts.”

The two Ducati stars have been riding in different directions this season.

After rebounding to third overall last season following four injury-hit seasons, Marquez has won the last six Sunday races and nine of 13 this season as he accelerates toward a seventh world title.

He said this was a “different version” of Marquez.

“2019, for example, was different … in the way I was fast immediately or the way I pushed the race was more aggressive,” the 32-year-old said, adding that this season: “I’m smoother and I’m trying to use more experience.”

“I’m with the best bike with the best team and it’s in my hands to win races and achieve my goal, which is to win world championships.”

Bagnaia, the world champion in 2023 and 2024, has less confidence in the bikes. Immediately after finishing eighth last week in Austria, he told media he was “running out of patience” with his team.

– ‘Very strange’ –

He said Friday that he had patched things up in the pit lane.

“When you finish a disaster race like it was in Austria and nervous and angry you arrive to speak to with all the journalists about what is wrong with you, sometimes you make wrong declaration,” he said.

“I was always super-competitive,” he said. “This season finishing eighth, seeing other bikes overtaking me in a very easy way is very strange.”

Sitting third in the championship, 197 points behind March Marquez and 55 behind the other Marquez brother Alex, who rides for Ducati satellite Gresini, Bagnaia knows he has a problem.

“We need to change something. I don’t know what. It’s clear that I’m always slower than last year. We meed to understand what to do.”

Lower down the grid, Honda has been forced into an awkward rider about turn.

On Wednesday, it announced that the 36-year-old Aleix Espargaro would replace struggling Thai Somkiat Chantra.

But when Espargaro turned up at the track on Thursday the team found he had injured his spine in a cycling accident “a few days earlier”, so sent him for hospital checks and reinstated Chantra.

The post Dominant Marquez eager to try something new as MotoGP returns to Hungary appeared first on Vanguard News.