MotoGP returns to Balaton Park for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend, but Francesco Bagnaia has made clear the lakeside venue will not be staying on the calendar — and that its provisional status is precisely why safety concerns have gone largely unaddressed.
The Hungarian circuit, which made its debut in 2025, drew criticism over its tight first chicane, where Enea Bastianini suffered a heavy crash last year. Organisers have responded for 2026 by expanding the run-off and adding gravel, but Bagnaia says deeper changes were never realistic.
"They didn't change because it's a provisional track. We will move to another track next year," the Ducati rider explained. "So it was difficult to change the way they put down the layout."
Bagnaia, long one of the paddock's most vocal voices on track safety, admitted he found the design of the 4.115km circuit puzzling given the room available to its builders.
"It's strange because the space here is a lot and they did a very unusual track," he said. "But it's what it is, so we will survive another season and maybe next year it will be better."
The Italian's comments point to a wider shift: Balaton Park is widely expected to drop off the schedule after this season, with the Hungaroring — which last hosted grand prix motorcycle racing in 1992 — tipped to return.
"I know the chicane can probably be problematic for us," the Italian said. "I hope to see something different starting from now because they told me there is a bit more gravel on the track."
He added that whatever the championship's plans for the venue, rider welfare cannot be compromised. "Safety is always the priority in every condition for us," Bastianini said.
Bagnaia arrives in Hungary looking to build on a hard-fought Mugello podium as he chases the Aprilia pair of Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin at the head of the standings. The Hungarian round forms the back end of a demanding double-header alongside Mugello, keeping the title contenders on track in consecutive weekends.
For now, the riders will make the best of a layout few seem to love, knowing that 2026 is almost certainly Balaton Park's last dance with MotoGP.
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