A predominantly left-handed circuit with a stop-start nature: all the hallmarks of a circuit that Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) will go exceptionally well at. That’s how the form book reads after FP1 too, with the Championship leader atop the standings by nearly three tenths of a second but that wasn’t the full story of MotoGP’s return to Hungary at the all-new Balaton Park circuit.

The opening session was red-flagged after two mechanical dramas for Aprilia. The first was Jorge Martin’s (Aprilia Racing) RS-GP blowing plumes of smoke down the front straight but the one that caused the red flag was Raul Fernandez’s (Trackhouse MotoGP Team). Heading into Turn 5, smoke billowed from the #25 whilst oil was also coming out before a small fire ensued. With 30:31 remaining on the clock, the pause gave everyone a chance to take stock of their opening runs in Hungary as well as the marshals to clear up Turn 5.

Once the session got back underway, it was all about the #93 who took to the new track like a duck to water. Being the first rider into the 1’37s in the final three minutes of the session, the Championship leader was in good form from the off. A surprise in second and top KTM with a late flying lap, substitute star Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) got down to business straight away at a track which he’d previously tested at. Also showing well was Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and the Spaniard took third at the chequered flag, ahead of Luca Marini (Honda HRC Castrol), spotted with a new chassis in P4. Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) rounded out the top five.

The best of the Aprilias was Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) in P6, one place ahead of Franco Morbidelli (Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team), who suffered two crashes on his first exploration of Balaton Park. Enea Bastianini’s promising form looks set to continue with him in P8, ahead of Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) and Martin, tenth by the time he got back out on the second bike. There was a late crash at Turn 12 for Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP) but he took the flag in P13.

Full results from Balaton Park FP1 in MotoGP!