Hungary set to join 2025 MotoGP calendar, Portugal in doubt
Hungary in, Portugal out as MotoGP begins to finalise next year’s calendar
Balaton Park
Photo by: Balaton Park
Hungary’s Balaton Park Circuit is poised to host its first MotoGP race next year while Portugal is likely to drop off the calendar, Autosport understands.
While the full schedule for the 2025 season is yet to be announced, more and more dates are coming to light as Dorna finalises plans for the 76th season of grand prix motorcycle racing.
Next year’s calendar will have several changes, with the new Balaton Park circuit located on the outskirts of Hungary’s capital Budapest and near the popular Lake Balaton set to be the most notable addition.
The plan is for local authorities, along with top officials of Dorna, to stage a presentation in the middle of the next month to officially announce the revival of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The last time the nation hosted a round of the world championship was in 1993, when Eddie Lawson won on a Cagiva at the Hungaroring, which remains an annual fixture on the Formula 1 calendar to date.
Balaton Park
Photo by: Balaton Park
It is expected that the Algarve circuit, which first hosted a MotoGP race in 2020 amid COVID restrictions, will be dropped from the schedule to make way for Hungary.
The decision to drop the Portuguese event would mean that Spain would keep its four races at Jerez, Barcelona, Aragon and Valencia. Dorna executives were previously planning to rotate between multiple venues in Spain as well as Portimao, but such a solution to balance races will no longer be required.
As already announced, the 2024 MotoGP season will kick off in Thailand on 2 March, followed possibly by another race in Asia on the following weekend.
It is expected that the championship will then head to the American continents, with Argentina retaking its spot on the calendar after the cancellation of this year's race due to government budget cutbacks. The Argentina GP should be scheduled either before or after the US Grand Prix in Austin.
Some other dates for 2025 races are already confirmed, including Le Mans (11 May), Silverstone (25 May) and Spielberg (17 August).
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