Ducati rider goes from “worst weekend of my career” to WorldSBK front row

The Hungarian WorldSBK only returned to the calendar in 2025 but its immediate impact on Yari Montella was affirmatively negative; the Italian, though, has reversed that in 2026.

Montella’s results were not dreadful at Balaton Park last year, finishing seventh and 10th in the two long races, although he DNF’d the Superpole Race.

But the Italian says it was the “worst weekend of my career”, and so is pleased to have been able to qualify on the front row at this year’s edition of the Hungarian World Superbike round.

“Front row is an amazing result after last year that I had really bad memories from this track,” Yari Montella told the WorldSBK world feed broadcast in his post-Superpole parc ferme interview.

“It was my worst race weekend of my career and now this year, start from the front row is like a dream. 

“I’m so happy, so proud with the team, with the work that we’ve done. It was a shame because I missed a little bit the line of the last chicane in the first sector, but front row is front row, so happy for that and now focus on the race.”

Montella also said that he is sceptical of his podium chances but he feels good with race tyres.

“I don’t know if we are able to fight for the podium, but we will try for sure because at the end we started strong this morning, I felt good with the SCX tyre,” he said.

Bulega “much better” than Friday

Championship leader Nicolo Bulega came into Superpole under some kind of pressure for the first real time this year after Iker Lecuona topped both practices on Friday and demonstrated strong pace.

Bulega, though, took pole by 0.6 seconds in the end and Lecuona was only fifth. For the Italian it was his fifth pole in succession and fourth of the year, and it puts him in the ideal position to try to claim a record 14th consecutive WorldSBK race win in Race 1.

“I feel much better than yesterday,” Bulega said in parc ferme.

“Yesterday I was struggling a little bit in the entry of the chicanes, so we worked with the team. 

“Today [is] better, so i hope to make another great weekend.”

Baldassarri “ready for the race pace”

Lorenzo Baldassarri used Bulega’s tow to take him to second on the grid. It was a strong lap for the Italian who each week seems to grow more assured in his position as a rider who can be consistently in the top six or eight places and occasionally on the podium.

“The most important thing I think was the qualifying because it was important to start in the front row to avoid in the race to lose time at the start, so this is good,” he said after qualifying second at Balaton.

“I think we are ready for the race pace because we did a pretty good job for preparing the race, so I’m confident to put on some good show for today and tomorrow.”