Marc Marquez sets the pace at Balaton Park

It has been quite a while since we saw Marc Marquez at the very top of the timesheets to open a weekend, but the reigning World Champion returned to form in FP1 at Balaton Park. The Ducati Lenovo Team rider managed a 1:38.626, a beautiful lap that stood as the fastest of the morning. It is a massive statement of intent for the rest of the field.

Raul Fernandez of the SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team was the closest challenger, finishing just 0.169s behind, while Pedro Acosta of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rounded out the top three, sitting 0.298s off the pace. Acosta had actually led for much of the session, but Marquez found that extra gear with 20 minutes remaining to displace him.

Behind them, Fermin Aldeguer for BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP and Fabio Di Giannantonio of Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team secured the top five. Further down, Francesco Bagnaia ended up 0.615s back in sixth, while Ai Ogura and Luca Marini—the latter leading the Honda HRC Castrol effort—took the next spots. Rounding out the top 10, Aprilia Racing's Marco Bezzecchi and Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP’s Toprak Razgatlioglu showed promise, while Jorge Martin had to settle for 12th.