MotoGP made its debut at the new Balaton Park Circuit and the technicalities of the tight track resulted in a plethora of incidents throughout the weekend.
From the first practice sessions, Buchanan delivered constant progress with lap times improving every outing as he adapted to the new layout.
In Q1 on Saturday, he finished fifth, just 0.2sec and one place away from advancing to Q2.
Starting P19 on the grid, the young Kiwi’s methodical approach to the race was paying dividends in the opening 13 laps of the Moto3 race before he was caught out unexpectedly at turn five.
"I am angry and disappointed not to have been able to finish a strong weekend in the points again," Buchanan said.
"The race was chaotic to say the least, and I struggled to start fast and have a good feeling with the new tyre, so it took a couple of laps for me to find my vibe.
"Then I started making my way forward into 16th and then pulled a big gap on the riders behind me.
"My pace was really strong and consistent. I had the group in front of me that were battling for P12. They had a big gap after I lost ground in the opening laps but I could lap a second faster at some points and was closing them in.
"I knew I had a pace advantage as I wasn’t riding close to my limit, managing the tyre as well as myself for the final six laps.
"Then in corner five, unexpectedly, I lost the front without any chance to save it.
"I’m upset as I wasn’t pushing overly hard and had actually changed my riding style to adopt a safe approach so I could bring the bike and points home.
"It’s frustrating but highs and lows are part of this sport."
Buchanan’s next assignment is the Catalonia GP in Barcelona from September 5-7.
— Allied Media
