MotoGP: Acosta dominates Friday at Balaton Park as KTM sets the benchmark for Sprint Saturday

Pedro Acosta delivered a commanding performance on Friday at the Hungarian Grand Prix, topping the combined timesheets at Balaton Park with a lap that left the rest of the MotoGP field searching for answers.

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider produced a stunning 1m36.827s, the only lap of the day in the 1’36s, ending the session more than four tenths clear of his nearest challenger and firmly establishing himself as the rider to beat heading into Sprint Saturday.

The afternoon session began with the usual urgency as riders chased a place inside the all‑important top ten. Fermín Aldeguer set the early benchmark, the BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP rider continuing to rebuild rhythm following a tricky race in Mugello a week ago.

But once the session reached its midpoint, Acosta took control. The #37—already third in the morning behind Marc Márquez—immediately looked at ease around the Hungarian venue, displacing the field with a lap that set the tone for the remainder of the day.

As the final 20 minutes approached, the session delivered its share of surprises. Iker Lecuona, standing in as a WorldSBK substitute for Gresini, produced an impressive lap to momentarily climb into ninth.

Others soon followed, with Diogo Moreira, Maverick Viñales, and Enea Bastianini all forcing their way into provisional Q2 positions. Aldeguer returned to the top two, while several big names—including Luca Marini, Ai Ogura, and Francesco Bagnaia—found themselves under pressure to deliver.

The final minutes brought the expected intensity. Marini vaulted into seventh, Bagnaia into eighth, and Moreira—briefly outside the top ten—responded with a strong lap for sixth. But for Brad Binder, the push ended abruptly as the KTM rider crashed while on a lap that would have carried him into Q2.

At the front, late improvements from Fabio Di Giannantonio and Raul Fernández secured them second and third respectively, yet neither came close to threatening Acosta’s benchmark. The Spaniard’s final time stood untouched, a clear statement of intent for the weekend ahead.

Acosta’s dominance ensured three different teams and manufacturers filled the top three, with Aldeguer completing a strong day in fourth. Ogura and Marco Bezzecchi followed, while Marc Márquez—fastest in FP1—ended the day seventh.

Moreira, Jorge Martín, and Jack Miller completed the top ten, with Martín’s effort ensuring all four Aprilias advanced directly to Q2 and Miller producing a late lap to secure his place.

Just outside the cut, Fabio Quartararo missed Q2 by the narrowest of margins, finishing 11th and only 0.054s ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu.

Bagnaia could do no better than 14th, one position ahead of Bastianini, while Joan Mir ended the day 16th. Marini, despite his late push, finished 13th. Lecuona’s impressive early charge ultimately left him 17th, though still within three tenths of Miller’s tenth‑place time.