Marc Marquez said he felt “stronger than expected” at Balaton Park, but had to go into “super sport mode” to win the Hungarian Grand Prix MotoGP sprint.
The factory Ducati MotoGP rider was the fastest rider at the 4.1km circuit on Saturday, beating KTM’s Pedro Acosta to pole position before dominating the half-distance race.
Although Marquez admitted on Friday that he remained quick over a single lap on soft tyres, he had concerns about his fitness in race trim – having still not fully recovered after undergoing surgery on his right shoulder last month.
But after showing he could maintain his pace in the 13-lap contest, the Spaniard explained that the result was a combination of improved physical condition and renewed confidence on left-hand corners.
Although anti-clockwise tracks like Balaton Park have always been his speciality, Marquez had been feeling slower than other Ducati riders at left turns since the start of the 2026 season.
“I’m stronger than what I expected,” he admitted. “I arrived here with the feeling of Mugello, so I feel very far. But the fact that the circuit changed and [it has more] left corners, I started to ride in a better way.
“In the first part of the season, I was not the fastest Ducati in the left corners; now I start to be the fastest one, I start to play well with the body. So it makes my life easier in this circuit.
“But, I’m slower than last year here. So let’s see if tomorrow we can manage the race.”
Nevertheless, Marquez made it clear that he is not able to ride at his 100%, warning that his shoulder continues to limit him on track.
Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
Asked how he was feeling after the sprint, which took place in much hotter conditions compared to Friday Practice, he replied: “Not bad. Tomorrow, the key point is to understand when I feel the drop, because the mental side is continuing in the racing mode, but the body is not following.
“I need to be very careful, because just a small mistake in a change of direction, the body position, as happened in Le Mans, can cause a crash. So it’s what we don’t want.
“With the adrenaline, it’s difficult to feel what’s going on, but you feel like every lap you are getting stiffer and stiffer. And every lap you are playing less with the body on the right side.
“My brother [Alex Marquez] was joking to me in Mugello, and today a bit also, because when I get tired I start to ride like Norick Abe. Just compensate with the left side and the right corner.”
Marquez believes the key to his victory was extending a two-second lead in the opening three laps and managing the gap to Acosta in the remainder of the race.
“The strategy was clear. Yesterday, I was in eco mode, today in super sport mode, and tomorrow, I need to be in sport mode.
“I was in super sport mode because since the first lap of every practice in the morning, I gave everything.
“I was riding fast, and in qualifying practice, I rode in a normal way for a single lap. And then in the sprint, I go out and I ride full attack the first three laps, and then I just manage the distance.”
With this result, Marquez now faces a 97-point gap to Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi in the championship.
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