Although Ducati chose not to reveal lap times from its private test in Hungary earlier this week, Francesco Bagnaia has shared his time aboard the Panigale V4 used on the day at Balaton Park. This turned out to be the fastest of the test, ahead of factory Ducati team-mate Marc Marquez’s best.
Bagnaia posted on Instagram that he had clocked a fastest lap of 1m41.468s. Very close behind was runaway championship leader Marquez, who Autosport understands posted a 1m41.5s lap, just one tenth off Bagnaia’s time.
Gresini Ducati rider Fermin Aldeguer was third, three tenths behind Bagnaia and one tenth ahead of both VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli and his team-mate Alex Marquez. Fabio Di Giannantonio ended the day half a second off Bagnaia’s pace.
Given the exploratory nature of the test at the brand-new track, as well as the machinery used, there is probably little to be read into the lap times. The Hungarian Grand Prix, when the riders will return to their regular MotoGP Ducati bikes, takes place from 22-24 August.
“First impressions of Balaton are good,” said Bagnaia after the test. “The layout is very small, and you need to be cautious in the chicanes. With a MotoGP bike, everything will be different.”
“The track layout is very unique and unusual,” added Marc Marquez. “Riding it will require a slightly different style with the MotoGP bike – there are many braking and acceleration zones, so adaptation will be key. The more laps you do, the more you enjoy it, and you really feel the speed. The asphalt is excellent – they’ve done a great job.
“After having fun with the Panigale, I’m really looking forward to racing here with the MotoGP bike.”
Bagnaia’s lap time fell well short of the track record set by Toprak Razgatlioglu during the World Superbike round held from 25-27 July, where he impressively secured a triple victory.
The Turkish rider, aboard his BMW, set a stunning pole lap of 1m38.357s during Superpole. While over three seconds quicker than Bagnaia’s effort this week, it should be underlined that this is to be expected and does not serve as a meaningful comparison.
