Following the conclusion of the Hungarian Grand Prix, in which Ducati's Marc Marquez claimed his 100th win across all categories, a wholesome moment was shared by the reigning champion with KTM's Pedro Acosta, as well as two-time champion Francesco Bagnaia, at the post-race press conference. In the build up to the Hungarian GP, Marquez had largely ruled himself out of being in contention for a podium let alone a race win. The seven-time premier class champion played down his chances in the build up and was looking to build on his P7 return in Mugello after
coming back from a double surgery. However, things went better than expected for the number 93, who secured his second clean-sweep of pole, sprint and race win at the Balaton Park circuit.
While considerably less physical than the much larger Mugello track, Marquez's feat was still impressible considering it was only a short while ago that he broke his foot in
a brutal high-side in Le Mans.
In the post-race conference in Hungary, Marquez's Ducati teammate Pecco Bagnaia could be seen shaking his head when reporters asked Marc about his pre-race comments. Bagnaia then humourously stated that he would not want to play Poker with Marquez, considering how well he is able to hide his true feelings.
Acosta then jumped in with the remark "Normally, champions always lie."
To which Marquez responded endearingly: "So, you are lying?"
Marquez and Acosta duel in Hungary: A sign of things to come?
The slightly backhanded compliment was clearly made in good spirits, and further serves to highlight the respect between the future teammates. Both Acosta and Marquez provided the majority of the highlights for the Sunday race after
Jorge Martin's calamitous Turn 1 crash wiped out nearly all the other frontrunners.
The pair overtook each other several times through the slippery, narrow circuit, and it was Marquez who eventually came out victorious to claim his first win of the season.
It is not the first time Acosta has been fearless in a bar-to-bar confrontation with Marquez. Earlier in the year, the duo had
a spectacular battle in Thailand which was eventually won by Acosta after Marquez was penalized for a harsh move which forced the KTM youngster off the track.