Overview
- In the final practice before qualifying, Nicolo Bulega set a 1:38.339 to go fastest, edging teammate Iker Lecuona by just over a tenth as five Ducatis locked out the top five.
- Iker Lecuona set the benchmark on Friday by topping FP1 in 1:39.454 and FP2 in 1:38.860, with Bulega second by 0.243s and 0.103s and Sam Lowes third in both sessions.
- Bulega leads the championship on a 13‑race winning streak that ties the WorldSBK record, and a Race 1 victory would move the mark to 14.
- BMW introduced a revised fairing with added lower fins, with Miguel Oliveira ninth in FP2 as the marque’s lead rider and teammate Danilo Petrucci crashing at Turn 3 after losing FP1 time to an airbox issue.
- Riders highlighted Balaton Park’s tight, stop‑start layout as a better fit for Lecuona’s style, yet Ducati’s depth — seven bikes running near the front on Friday — points to a crowded challenge over race distance.