Marc Márquez "very happy" with a "victory that cost him dearly"

Marc Márquez wins the Hungarian Grand Prix and reaches the symbolic milestone of 100 career victories, sixteen years after his first. A victory snatched in an intense duel with Pedro Acosta, and dedicated to all those who believed in him after his double surgery.

There are numbers that sum up a career. 100 Grand Prix victories, sixteen years after his first — Marc Márquez reached this milestone at Balaton Park in conditions that suit him best: a physical duel, contact, and an opening seized at the right moment. It wasn't as straightforward as the previous day's Sprint, where he had controlled the race from start to finish. "Today, I really went into it with a fighting mentality to reach the podium."he confided to Canal+ microphones. "I also knew that Fermín Aldeguer and Pedro Acosta had good rhythm and were very fast."

The race quickly took an unexpected turn. Within the first few meters, an incident at the first braking point eliminated five machines, including those of Jorge Martín, Marco Bezzecchi, and Fermín Aldeguer: "I realized in the first few laps that something had happened in the first corner, because there was already a significant gap with the drivers behind and Pecco, who was in third place."

Pedro Acosta, meanwhile, took control and believed in his first victory in the premier category, taking advantage of his soft rear tire to widen the gap. "The strategy was to try and lead the race from start to finish, but he was very clever and attacked me right at the beginning of the race because he had that soft tire which allowed him to be faster than me. We were really on the limit for two laps, but we respected each other."

Instinct versus strategy

The key to victory came down to tire choice. The team recommended the soft tire, but Marc Márquez trusted his instincts: "My instinct told me to ride with the medium tire." A winning bet: halfway through the race, when his rival from KTM was starting to suffer from the degradation of his soft tire, the Spaniard increased his pace and found an opening in one of the chicanes. “I had a really good pace and I was able to create a gap. I knew my pace would be better because I had fresh air in front of me. There were ten laps to go, and I was very happy to be in front.”

But the Ducati rider is also aware of the price paid for this hundredth victory. “I’m very happy, it’s a hard-won victory. After last year, everything changed, but that’s sport. I learned even more in 2026, I worked very hard to be able to make a comeback like this. I thank everyone — the physios, the doctors, everyone who believed in me. It was a big price to pay, but I’m happy to be back at the forefront again.”

He also acknowledges that circuits that mainly turn left, such as Balaton Park, are particularly favorable to him: "If all the circuits turned left, it would be easy for me to win more. For the moment, here, it's unusual." The shoulder remains a topic of discussion: "I'm not at 100% at the moment." » And the upcoming summer break after Brno (Czech Republic), Assen (Netherlands), and the Sachsenring (Germany) will be an opportunity to continue his physical development. For now, number 93 is enjoying himself.

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