Marc Márquez and the Ducati Lenovo Team continue on their impressive winning streak – now up to seven – thanks to the victory in the 26-lap Grand Prix of Hungary at Balaton Park. Francesco Bagnaia finished the race in ninth position.
After a coming together with Bezzecchi at the start, Márquez recovered to second place with 22 laps to go, before taking the lead on lap 11. From then on, Marc managed the gap until the chequered flag, eventually crossing the line with more than four seconds in hand over the runner-up. Bagnaia, who started 13th on the grid, climbed up to seventh before finishing ninth following a long-lap penalty.
As the fourteenth Grand Prix of the season draws to a close, Marc Márquez brings his tally to 455 points, extending his lead over Alex Márquez to 175. Francesco Bagnaia is third, 227 points behind his teammate. The Ducati Lenovo Team continues to lead the Teams’ standings (683 points), while Ducati also maintains the top spot in the Manufacturers’ standings (504 points).
The Ducati Lenovo Team will be back in action on September 5–7 at Montmeló for the Monster Energy Grand Prix of Catalonia.
Marc Márquez (#93 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 1st
“I was lucky not to crash after the coming together with Bezzecchi: I wasn’t expecting him to slow down that much at turn two and I ran into him. My mistake. I lost one position and from there my race had a new start: I stayed patient, knowing I had the medium tyre on my side. I got it up to the perfect temperature and then I started pushing. The tyre choice really made the difference, as this morning I realised that with the medium I was able to lap at the same pace as the others on the soft. I knew that as the race went on, I’d be able to keep the same rhythm.”
Francesco Bagnaia (#63 Ducati Lenovo Team) – 9th
“It went well. At the beginning it took me a little while to find the feeling, but then it kept improving lap after lap. In the final laps I tried to overtake Pol (Espargaró) after tailing him for so long, but I ended up missing the braking mark at turn five. This is the first time this season that I’ve felt better: obviously the result is not up to our expectations, but the goal of finding a solution has begun bearing some fruit. The step forward made across these three days was significant and I’m happy.”
Luigi Dall’Igna (Ducati Corse General Manager)
“There’s very little to add about Marc’s performance: seven wins in a row now, and it’s clear that he’s in the form of his life – extremely quick, but still with some margin in his pocket. Congratulations to him and the whole team for another incredible performance. We also saw positive signs from Pecco, who could have finished seventh without the long-lap penalty. We know this is not the type of result expected by the type of champion he is, but the important thing is to react and keep working hard in order to get out of this situation.”
