24/08/2025

Muñoz conquers Hungarian podium – Pini crashes after strong race

David Muñoz secured a strong third place and thus a podium finish in his Moto3 debut at the new Balaton Park Circuit. LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP teammate Guido Pini also put in an impressive performance, but had to end his race prematurely after crashing in the final third.

The practice sessions already made it clear that the 20 laps of the race wouldn't be an easy one. The 4.08-kilometre circuit right next to the Lake Balaton is a treacherous track – tight corners, brutal braking points and hardly any opportunities for overtaking. It is a race that demands precision, courage and perfect tyre management.

David Muñoz started the race from fifth on the grid, got off to a flying start and quickly found his rhythm. After a brief tussle at the beginning, which saw him drop back to P5, he immediately set his mark: fastest lap of the race on lap three! From then on, he fought his way into the leading group, switching between second and fourth place for several laps and then cleverly positioning himself for the showdown. With two laps to go, the 19-year-old had to drop back a little, but he defended his third place with nerves of steel – and secured the podium in Hungary. Even though he has to relinquish his third place in the World Championship for the time being, one thing is already certain: Muñoz will strike back in front of his Spanish fans at his home Grand Prix in Barcelona from 5th to 7th of September.

Meanwhile, teammate Guido Pini was on his way to his best career result to date. Although the 17-year-old Italian fell back to P7 at the start, he worked his way forward in impressive fashion and was temporarily in fifth place. However, a small mistake threw him back to sixth place midway through the race. Despite the growing gap to the leaders, the youngster continued to fight undeterred, but had to accept further minor mistakes, which ultimately resulted in a long-lap penalty. However, it didn't come to that: five laps before the end, Pini crashed in turn 11 – and buried his chance of his best World Championship result to date in the gravel.

Celebration on one side, slight disappointment on the other – the premiere in Hungary provided the LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP Team with many important insights that should help them fight for further successes in two weeks' time in Barcelona at the next clash of the Moto3 world elite.

Results

Race
1. Maximo QUILES/ SPA/ KTM
2. Valentin PERRONE/ ARG/ KTM – (+0.018)
3. David MUÑOZ/ SPA/ KTM – (+0.858)
DNF Guido PINI/ ITA/ KTM

World Championship
1.   RUEDA Jose Antonio/ SPA – 250
2.   PIQUERAS Angel/ SPA – 181
3.   QUILLES Maximo/ SPA – 164
4.   MUÑOZ David/ SPA – 155
14. PINI Guido/ ITA – 51

Team Classification
1. RED BULL KTM AJO – 396
2. FRINSA - MT Helmets – 271
3. CF MOTO GAVIOTA ASPAR TEAM – 245
4. LIQUI MOLY DYNAVOLT INTACT GP – 206

David Muñoz

P3 - (+0.858)
Moto3 World Championship 2025 - P4 - 155 Points

"I am very happy with today's result because it was a difficult race. We opted for the soft rear tyre, and that may not have really helped me in the last five laps, even though I pushed very hard until the end. But Quiles and Perrone had a bit more. Nevertheless, I'm very satisfied, also with the work we did as a team throughout the weekend. We need to continue this way in the next races. That will be crucial for the championship before we travel overseas at the end of next month. But for now, I'm satisfied, and we'll try to achieve even more next time. Many thanks to the team, who did a great job again."

Guido Pini

DNF
Moto3 World Championship 2025 - P14 - 51 Points

"It was a very fast race right from the start, but we were right there with them. However, we opted for the soft tyre, which had a drop after just a few laps. Nevertheless, I always pushed myself to the limit. Unfortunately, I crashed later on and had to retire from the race. Still, there are many positive aspects to take away from this weekend, because we are getting closer and closer to the top. In two weeks, we'll be heading to Barcelona, where I know the track very well and really like it. So, I'm really looking forward to it. But first, I would like to apologize to the team and thank them for their work, which was excellent as always."

Peter Öttl

Team Manager

"Both our riders proved right from the start that they were competitive at this new track here in Hungary. Guido even started the weekend as the fastest rider, taking first place in Friday morning’s Free Practice One. David was just behind him in fourth place. In Practice, they made it straight into Q2 with third and seventh place respectively. There, they secured fifth and sixth places on the second row of the starting grid. This was an excellent starting position, especially at this track, as the first two corners are very tight here. David fought for victory until the end of the race. However, due to tyre wear in the last two laps, he was unable to keep up with the pace of the leaders. Nevertheless, he managed to narrowly defend third place, which meant his fifth podium in a row."

"Guido also put in a very strong performance until the final third of the race. He was in fifth place when he unfortunately made a mistake that cost him his contact to the leading group. While trying to close the gap, he unfortunately crashed, which is of course very unfortunate from the team's point of view when only one rider sees the chequered flag. But as a team, we once again clearly demonstrated our competitiveness, and in Barcelona we want to continue to race at the front with both riders. Thank you all for your great effort."

Pictures Moto3 - Sunday Hungarian GP 2025

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