New frontiers for Honda HRC Castrol in Hungary
Balaton Park CircuitFor the first time since 2023, a brand-new circuit will appear on the MotoGP World Championship calendar as Balaton Park in Hungary hosts round 14.
After 33 years, Grand Prix motorcycle racing will make a return to Hungary at the brand-new 4.08-kilometre-long Balaton Park. Seven right hand bends and ten left corners, a very tight and technical layout awaits the Honda HRC Castrol team. With a strong weekend in their back pocket, Joan Mir and Luca Marini arrive ready to hit the ground running and capitalise on the unfamiliar territory.
Arriving in Hungary with 55 points and 15th in the World Championship standings, Luca Marini has continued to carry his consistency round-to-round. Post-summer upgrades debuted in Austria and the Italian is aiming to maximise their impact at round 14 to return to double-digit point hauls. Able to find the feeling quickly on Fridays, Marini and the Honda RC213V will be out to keep this edge over the competition at Balaton Park.
Joan Mir's adaptability helped him to secure his best Honda result to date the last time a circuit debuted on the MotoGP World Championship calendar – fifth at the 2023 Indian Grand Prix. Having raced to a strong sixth in Austria, form is on the 2020 World Championship's side and the focus throughout Honda HRC is continuing this run.
With only a brief test for the Honda HRC Test Team ahead of the event, there are still a number of unknowns to discover in Hungary and the scene is set for an exciting Grand Prix weekend.
I've been checking the WorldSBK races and the data from when the Test Team went to Hungary and it looks a very particular kind of circuit. At the moment I think we are able to find a good level from quite early in the weekend, so at a new track we should be able to take advantage of that. Placing ourselves in a better grid position for the races is one of the main focuses of the weekend, along with testing our new pieces on a different kind of circuit to Austria. Nice to meet new fans and experience a different country.
I've been checking the WorldSBK races and the data from when the Test Team went to Hungary and it looks a very particular kind of circuit. At the moment I think we are able to find a good level from quite early in the weekend, so at a new track we should be able to take advantage of that. Placing ourselves in a better grid position for the races is one of the main focuses of the weekend, along with testing our new pieces on a different kind of circuit to Austria. Nice to meet new fans and experience a different country.
After our weekend in Austria I am looking forward to getting back on track and continuing our momentum. Hungary looks like a really different circuit to Austria, much tighter and more technical. It has been a while since we had a brand-new circuit, and I think it can help us to be closer to the front again. I am interested to see how MotoGP and our bike performs there, new track, unique layout – a recipe for an exciting weekend. It's always enjoyable to go to new places and meet new fans. Let's put on a great show for all the Honda supporters there.
After our weekend in Austria I am looking forward to getting back on track and continuing our momentum. Hungary looks like a really different circuit to Austria, much tighter and more technical. It has been a while since we had a brand-new circuit, and I think it can help us to be closer to the front again. I am interested to see how MotoGP and our bike performs there, new track, unique layout – a recipe for an exciting weekend. It's always enjoyable to go to new places and meet new fans. Let's put on a great show for all the Honda supporters there.