24/08/2025

Gonzalez takes third place after heart-stopping finale in Hungary

A thrilling final lap cost Manuel Gonzalez from the LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP Team a victory that was within his grasp. After some fierce attacks, the World Championship leader secured the third place on the podium. Finishing 16th, replacement rider Sergio Garcia narrowly missed out on the points in his guest appearance for the injured Senna Agius.

Manuel Gonzalez once again showed his class right from the start, shooting into the lead with a rocket start. A bold manoeuvre by Jake Dixon and, a few corners later, an attack by Diogo Moreira briefly threw him back, but the Spaniard kept his cool. He smartly studied his opponents, held his own in the leading group and struck back on lap six. On lap 15, the 23-year-old finally took the lead. Until shortly before the end of the race, it looked like the Spaniard was heading for his fifth win of the season. But then David Alonso came along: with an aggressive attack, he pushed past Gonzalez and also cleared the way for Moreira. In a dramatic final lap, Gonzalez fought on equal terms, but had to avoid a collision with Moreira as he entered the home straight – and ultimately crossed the finish line in third place. With this result, Gonzalez continues to maintain his lead in the World Championship ahead of Aron Canet.

Sergio Garcia also impressed on his debut with the team. The 22-year-old, who stepped in for the injured Senna Agius, had many hurdles to overcome this weekend – a new track, a new bike, a new team and suspension. Nevertheless, he shone with an impressive comeback. Starting from 27th on the grid, the Spaniard ploughed through the field and fought his way up to 16th place. He missed out on the points by a hair's breadth. The LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP Team would like to thank Garcia for his strong performance. In two weeks' time, the focus will be on Barcelona, where Senna Agius will hopefully be back in top form on his Kalex.

Results

Race
1.   David ALONSO/ COL/ KALEX
2.   Diogo MOREIRA/ BRA/ KALEX – (+0.174)
3.   Manuel GONZALEZ/ SPA/ KALEX – (+0.305)
16. Sergio GARCIA/ SPA/ KALEX – (+17.333)

World Championship
1.   GONZALEZ Manuel/ SPA – 204
2.   CANET Aron/ SPA – 179
3.   MOREIRA Diogo – 173
9.   AGIUS Senna/ AUS – 93
27. GARCIA Sergio/ SPA – 3

Team Classification
1. FANTIC RACING LINO SONEGO – 326
2. LIQUI MOLY DYNAVOLT INTACT GP – 297
3. ELF MARC VDS RACING TEAM – 211

Manuel Gonzalez

P3 - (+0.305)
Moto2 World Championship 2025 - P1 - 204 Points

"It was hard work today because it's a very difficult track where you can't afford to make any mistakes. But it's true that I felt very comfortable wit the bike in the first half of the race when I was riding behind Diogo and could follow him easily. Then I thought maybe I could pull away, so I tried. Even though I rode pretty well, apart from a few small mistakes, which are normal at a track like this, and my lap times weren't bad, it wasn't possible. But as I said, when you're riding behind another rider, it's much easier to go faster because you have the braking points and everything else as a reference. So, in the last few laps, there were the moments when the other riders were catching up behind me, and I knew they would be there on the brakes. It was very close in the battles. We often touched each other, and once I almost crashed in the second chicane when the front folded. Nevertheless, it's positive that we made it onto the podium at a track where we struggled a bit. I think we can be even better at circuits that I like more, such as the next ones in Barcelona and Misano. I believe these ones will be really good for us. But we still finished on the podium, which is good for us. I also think we are coping really well with the pressure of leading the championship. We can fight for the podium at every track. That's good for us. The only thing is that we lost a lot of points last time in Austria. But we're staying calm and can control the situation a little bit. So, let's take the positives from the weekend and keep fighting for the championship until the end of the season."

Sergio Garcia

P16 - (+17.333)
Moto2 World Championship 2025 - P27 - 3 Points

"I'm satisfied because we've improved a lot today. I think the main thing was changing my riding style, which really helped me to ride faster and feel more comfortable with the bike. Yesterday during qualifying, I made the mistake of using the rear brake too often, which I shouldn't have done. That's why I changed a lot today and focused even more on myself to improve my riding and be more competitive with this bike. I'm more or less happy because I think I did a good job, rode very consistently, and as a result, our pace in the race was good. So, I'm happy and I have to thank Intact GP for giving me this opportunity because it's very important for me to ride a KALEX bike this year to be ready for next year. Thank you very much to Intact GP for everything."

Jürgen Lingg

Team Manager

"Balaton Park was another very successful weekend for the entire team. We secured podium places in all three classes and also had front row starting positions. I think we can be proud of that. It was another strong performance from everyone. Congratulations to everyone and thank you for the great work. We definitely have to be satisfied, even if the result of the Moto2 race leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste. Manu controlled it really well in the final stages. David Alonso, on the other hand, had nothing to lose and naturally went all in. Manu was the one who suffered a little because he had to open up once and Moreira was able to pass him in that situation. Nevertheless, the race can be considered positive overall, because it was great to see that Manu was able to control his currently strongest opponent at all times. But that's how it is in racing – sometimes you're lucky and sometimes you're not. Unfortunately, we narrowly lost out today, even though Manu was one of the strongest on the track in terms of performance. Respect and congratulations, even if the plan didn't quite work out today."

"It was also a pleasure to work with Sergio this weekend. He did a very good job. Unfortunately, qualifying didn't go well, because with a better starting position he would have achieved a good result in the race. His gap to the front was very small. With a better starting position, he could have finished between tenth and 15th place. After a three-month break from racing, the points would have been very strong, especially with a new bike, a new team and unfamiliar suspension components. In addition, you can't make up for such a lack of racing practice in a single weekend, and we would have needed more time for set-up. That's what he was missing today. But Sergio did a good job and it was fun to work with him. Many thanks to him for stepping in for Senna, and we look forward to Senna's return in Barcelona. He was missed in every way, so we are looking forward to his comeback in a week and a half."

Pictures Moto2 - Sunday Hungarian GP 2025

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