Aprilia riders have offered possible explanations to the marque’s lacklustre showing at the Hungarian Grand Prix so far, suggesting the performance issues are not solely down to the MotoGP track layout. 

After a dominant start to the 2026 MotoGP season in which it proved that the RS-GP is a well-rounded bike that can work at a wide variety of tracks, Aprilia hasn’t featured at the sharp end at Balaton Park this weekend.

While Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta stole the show for Ducati and KTM respectively, Aprilia was reduced to the third-best manufacturer on Saturday. This gap was particularly evident in qualifying, where the top Aprilia of Marco Bezzecchi finished sixth and more than six tenths down on polesitter Marquez.

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In the sprint race, Bezzecchi made a rapid launch to grab third early on but could pose no threat to Marquez or Acosta, finishing 2.7s off the lead. Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez finished right on Bezzecchi’s tail, factory rider Jorge Martin could only manage sixth, while Ai Ogura failed to even break inside the points.

Asked why Aprilia was suffering at the stop-and-go Balaton track, Martin said: “It seems like when we release the brake, we lose the line a bit. With less downforce, we struggle to turn at the slow corners.

“But then in T2, in the second sector, with a lot of downforce, we are super competitive. So, for sure, the bike is really good in terms of aerodynamics, but as soon as we lose the downforce, we struggle.”

Martin started the sprint in eighth and was trying to climb up the order when he was forced to take the shortcut at the chicane while following LCR Honda rider Diogo Moreira.

The Spaniard had to voluntarily drop time to avoid a penalty, halting his momentum in the sprint.

Raul Fernandez, Trackhouse Racing

Speaking afterwards, Martin explained that he struggled with the front-end of the bike, which is supposed to be a key strength of Aprilia’s 2026 package.

“I did my best and I was catching even the group, but I went long again while in corner 15,” he said. “This was the consequence of not having a really good feeling overall. 

“I'm trying it, but it seems like I don't make the front work on the range. So I never have a good grip in the front. 

“The rear is not bad, honestly. But we need to understand this a bit and make it work. I think a small step in the set-up will help me a lot in terms of times.”

Changing conditions 

Meanwhile, Bezzecchi made several mistakes in qualifying, with his ideal lap time three tenths quicker than the one he strung together at the end of Q2.

The championship leader said he had no chance of matching Marquez and Acosta’s pace, even if he had caught up with them at the start.

However, he denied that Aprilia’s relative struggles in Balaton Park were down to the track layout, instead pointing to the changing conditions - including a sharp increase in temperature from Friday - as a major factor.

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Marco Bezzecchi, Aprilia Racing, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team

“The conditions this week have been quite different from last year,” he said. “The grip in general from the track has always been less. If you see, the lap times are quite slower compared to last year in general - not only the sprint but also in the free practices, in the qualifying.

“So it's difficult to find consistency, it's difficult to find a situation where conditions improve or at least are the same every session. 

“In the first couple of laps during the sprint, I was struggling and I was feeling like on ice. I don't think it's more a matter of a stop-and-go track, it's more a matter of trying to adapt better to this kind of situation where the conditions are changing.”

Fernandez believes the Balaton Park Circuit isn’t allowing Aprilia riders to extract the maximum performance out of the bike.

“On this track, we cannot use our bike 100% because our hard point is the stability, and here we don't have a corner with stability. You need a flowing bike,” he said. “Also, you have two riders [Marquez and Acosta] that are making the difference.”

Braking troubles

Ogura believes Aprilia riders are struggling with braking this weekend, but was at a loss to explain why the problem only appeared at Balaton Park.

“I haven't spoken with any other Aprilia riders yet, but I think everybody struggled in the same part,” he said. “I think the biggest limitation in qualifying was the straight braking. That's where we lost a lot of time compared to fast guys. 

“I think I said this many times that we improved the braking a lot. And I feel we are quite competitive on the brake, but not in this circuit.”

Asked why the Aprilias were struggling on braking at this venue, he added: I don’t know. I don’t really understand.”

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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

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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