“Balaton Park has played its last card”: Paolo Simoncelli's verdict

Paolo Simoncelli bids farewell to Balaton Park, a Hungarian circuit that the MotoGP World Championship has never particularly appreciated for several reasons.

Just two seasons and MotoGP has said goodbye to Balaton Park. There’s no official note, but as Pecco Bagnaia already stated on GP Thursday, further comments followed from other riders regarding the layout and the asphalt condition of the Magyar track. The reception in the stands certainly didn’t help either, as highlighted by Paolo Simoncelli at the end of the Hungarian GP: in his customary post following a Moto3 event, the SIC58 Squadra Corse owner also offered a few words of farewell to Balaton Park. We won’t see it on the MotoGP calendar next year, but it’s unclear whether the Hungarian GP will be removed entirely or if the event will return in the coming years, moving to the Hungaroring. What is certain, for now, is that next year there will be a trip to Aragon, a circuit back on the roster for 2027 and officially listed as a reserve event from 2028 to 2031.

In MotoGP, it seems that only Toprak Razgatlioglu appreciated Balaton Park, buoyed by his winning past in the Superbike World Championship. The mess at Turn 1 in the premier class GP certainly didn’t help, given that several riders, such as Miller and Moreira, specifically cited the track’s configuration as one of the ‘culprits.’ As mentioned, there’s also a comment from Moto3. "Balaton Park played its last card to win people over. ‘Too small, too young’ are the most common reasons heard in the paddock," wrote Paolo Simoncelli in his post-Grand Prix commentary. "Like when you don’t know how to end certain love stories and come up with banal excuses like ‘it’s not you, it’s me,’ it seems the relationship between Dorna and the Hungarian circuit is destined to end the same way."

He also admits he has no official confirmation as to why, but then offers his take, highlighting one aspect in particular. "We ordinary mortals aren’t privy to the real reasons, but what you see is clear: half-empty grandstands, few people, while elsewhere GPs keep posting big numbers." It’s indeed a telling detail: the circuits visited so far, including Mugello, have shown record attendance over the three days of the various GPs. All of them, except Balaton Park. "I really find it hard to believe that motorbikes don’t interest people in Hungary: it’s easier to think everything was poorly promoted and poorly sold," Simoncelli added.

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