Acosta claims dream maiden victory | Pedro Acosta delivered a flawless performance to seal his maiden MotoGP Sunday win in Austria, ahead of podium finishers Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing #89) and Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing #73). Report: BikeReview/MotoGP Press

Friday Practice and Saturday Qualifying
MotoGP

Giving KTM fans exactly what they wanted to see, the Austrian manufacturer’s homecoming got off to a dream start with Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing #37) completing a Friday clean sweep at the Red Bull Ring. A 1’28.381 sealed the deal as the #37’s latest quest for a first MotoGP win got underway in strong fashion, ahead of Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #54) and returnee Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team #79). There was a brief red flag for a strange crash with Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP #73), but he was all ok and in the top 10 by the time the chequered flag waved.

Read our previous MotoGP reports here…

Jorge Martin put in a stunner in qualifying at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Austria, taking pole position to deny Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team #93) by just 0.015 seconds at the top. Third went to Pedro Acosta after the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider dominated Friday proceedings, the #37 within 0.071 of pole after a tight qualifying set us up for some thrillers in Spielberg.

Moto2

Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team #12) headed into the weekend as the rider to beat in Moto2 after the Czech star set a new class all-time lap record at the Red Bull Ring, a 1:32.402, to top Practice. 0.097s away in second place was Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – Campolor – MSI #4), and a further tenth in arrears was Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team #96), who acted as the third-quickest rider on Day 1.

Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team) set himself up for the best possible start to the Austrian Grand Prix after claiming pole position in what was shaping up to be a formidable weekend for the Czech rider. Fastest on Friday and even faster on Saturday in Spielberg, Salač fired in a 1:32.381 to smash his own lap record and secure a first pole position in three years as title-chase leader Manuel Gonzalez (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #18) and his compatriot Alex Escrig (KLINT Racing Team #11) completed the front row.

Moto3

Once again, it was a Friday to remember for David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #22) as the Spaniard topped both FP1 and Practice timesheets, the 20th time he’s found himself leading a session this season. A1’39.667 saw him within striking distance of the all-time lap record.

Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo #51) had left himself precious few opportunities to make his pole bid count at the Red Bull Ring, but when the decisive lap arrived, he only needed the one. The Spaniard fired in a stunning 1:39.544 on his final flying lap to snatch pole position from David Almansa (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) by just 0.064s, setting a new all-time lap record in the process.

Saturday
Tissot Sprint

P1 into Turn 1, down to P8 on the opening lap, then back to P1 at the chequered flag. Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) produced a stunning Tissot Sprint comeback to win a dramatic Saturday at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Austria, capitalising after Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) crashed out of the lead in the closing stages. Joining Martin on the podium were title rivals Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) and Marco Bezzecchi.

Martin grabbed the holeshot from pole ahead of Marc Marquez, but an aggressive first-lap shuffle saw the Aprilia rider tumble from first to eighth by Turn 3. Marc Marquez briefly held the lead before Acosta seized control at Turn 3, with the #37 immediately stretching a gap approaching one second.

Behind him, Bezzecchi sat third ahead of Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), while Martin began carving through the field. The championship leader quickly dispatched Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing #33), Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team #63), Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) and Alex Marquez to climb back to fourth by Lap 5.

Martin’s charge continued as he passed teammate Bezzecchi for third on Lap 7 before repeating the move a lap later on Marc Marquez at Turn 1 to take second. With Acosta holding a comfortable 2.8s advantage, Martin’s focus shifted to protecting his position while managing a track limits warning.

Up front, Acosta appeared destined for a second Sprint win of the season. However, with three laps remaining, the young Spaniard crashed while leading by two seconds. Carrying too much speed into the chicane, Acosta lost the front end and slid out, handing the lead and eventual victory to Martin.

The reigning World Champion made no mistakes from there, completing one of the rides of the season to secure 12 valuable points in the title race. Marc Marquez crossed the line in second, with Bezzecchi completing the podium in third.

Ogura marked his return from injury with an impressive fourth-place finish, while Alex Marquez headed Bagnaia as the pair rounded out the top six in fifth and sixth, respectively.

“Today I enjoyed the race a lot, and for sure I was a bit lucky with Pedro’s crash. We were on the limit on the first lap, and I thought my chances were over, but then, lap by lap, I never gave up. I was pushing to my maximum, trying to be super concentrated. To come from the back and then win is so good,” Martin said.

Tissot Sprint Race Results

  1. Jorge Martin Aprilia Racing
  2. Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo (+1.026s)
  3. Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing (+1.675s)
  4. Ai Ogura Trackhouse Aprilia (+3.495s)
  5. Alex Marquez BK8 Gresini Ducati (+4.447s)

Sunday
MotoGP

Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) bounced back from his Sprint heartbreak in perfect fashion by claiming a long-awaited maiden MotoGP victory at KTM’s home Red Bull Ring, producing a composed and flawless ride at the Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Austria. After 15 premier-class podiums without a win, the Spaniard finally stood on the top step, beating World Championship leader Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing), while Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia Racing) completed the podium.

Aprilia enjoyed a dream start as Martin led teammate Bezzecchi and Ai Ogura (SuperFile Trackhouse MotoGP Team) through the opening laps. Acosta, meanwhile, quickly recovered from a slightly sluggish launch, moving past Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team) and then Ogura to climb into third.

The KTM star wasted little time continuing his charge. On Lap 4, Acosta passed Bezzecchi to take second and immediately set about chasing Martin. By Lap 7, the leading duo had edged clear of the field, with Bezzecchi holding third ahead of Ogura.

The decisive moment arrived on Lap 9. Acosta used a stronger drive out of Turn 1 to outdrag Martin and seize the race lead for the first time. Behind them, Marc Marquez endured a difficult spell, making several mistakes that dropped him down the order and left him battling outside the top five.

As the race entered its second half, Acosta controlled proceedings brilliantly. Martin remained within striking distance, while Bezzecchi kept the pressure on his teammate in the fight for second. Ogura also impressed on his return from injury, running within sight of the podium positions throughout much of the Grand Prix.

Although Martin briefly reduced the gap in the closing laps, Acosta responded with a series of strong lap times to re-establish a cushion of more than a second. With two laps remaining, victory was firmly within reach for the 21-year-old.

On the final lap, Acosta kept his composure and brought the RC16 home to secure a breakthrough MotoGP win and an emotional triumph for KTM on home soil. Martin crossed the line in second to strengthen his championship position, while Bezzecchi finished just 0.192s behind the Spaniard in third after a tense battle to the flag.

Ogura completed an impressive comeback weekend in fourth, while Marc Marquez recovered to finish fifth. Martin now holds a 12-point lead in the championship heading into the flyaway rounds, with Aprilia taking plenty of momentum from a weekend that delivered double podiums in both the Sprint and Grand Prix.

“The first one is always special. A nice way to close a cycle with KTM in front of all the Austrian fans. Super happy for them, because they deserve it more than me. Yesterday I f**ked up, so to give them this result was amazing,” Acosta explained.

MotoGP Race Results

  1. Pedro Acosta Red Bull KTM
  2. Jorge Martin Aprilia Racing (+1.017s)
  3. Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing (+1.209s)
  4. Ai Ogura Trackhouse Aprilia (+2.139s)
  5. Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo (+7.339s)

Check out the full MotoGP race results here…

MotoGP Championship Points

  1. Jorge Martin Aprilia Racing – 306
  2. Marc Marquez Ducati Lenovo – 294
  3. Marco Bezzecchi Aprilia Racing – 264
  4. Pedro Acosta Red Bull KTM – 234
  5. Fabio Di Giannantonio Pertamina VR46 Ducati – 230

Moto2

The Moto2 title race momentum pendulum keeps swinging one way and then the other in 2026 as Izan Guevara (BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 #28) rolled out a Red Bull Ring masterclass to clinch a crucial second win of the season. It’s a 25-point haul that sees the #28 chop World Championship leader Manuel Gonzalez’s (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) points lead back down to 35.5 points after the latter crosses the line in P4 behind second-place Filip Salač (OnlyFans American Racing Team) and third-place David Alonso (CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team #80).

Starting from the middle of the front row, Gonzalez nailed the start and grabbed the holeshot into Turn 1, as Ivan Ortola (QJMOTOR – Campolor – MSI) and polesitter Salač went elbow to elbow through the opening corner and into Turn 2. Hanging it on the outside into Turn 2a, Salač then had the inside line into Turn 2b and pounced up the inside of Gonzalez to take the lead, and this halted Gonzalez’s momentum and speed, seeing the title race leader get punted back down to the lower ends of the top 10.

More big moves were coming, though. Turn 9 saw both Ortola and the fast-starting Guevara carve their way past Salač to demote the Czech rider to P3. And as the top three started to stretch their legs at the front, Gonzalez tried to wrestle his way past Alonso in fourth, which didn’t work, as Gonzalez fell to 2.4s off the lead by Lap 6 of 23.

On Lap 11, Guevara’s lead was up to 1.8s over the Ortola vs Salač battle; Alonso was a further second behind the podium positions, Gonzalez was just over a second adrift of the Colombian, as a change for P2 then came. Salač passed Ortola into Turn 4, so could the Czech rider begin reeling in Guevara?

Ortola slipped behind Alonso on Lap 15 when the Spaniard had a moment coming through Turn 2b as the battle for the podium began to bubble up nicely, with Gonzalez still a looming threat to the top three in P5. And sure enough, on Lap 17, at Turn 4, Gonzalez passed Ortola for P4. Meanwhile, up front, Guevara endured a real scare on his front end as it folded at Turn 9. What a save. It cost the race leader a second, whose lead came down to 2.2s on Lap 19.

Guevara steadied the ship, however, with the gap still hovering above two seconds with three laps to go, as Salač kept Alonso 0.9s in arrears. Gonzalez sat 1.1s behind a podium spot in P4, while Ortola hadn’t let the championship leader get away – 0.3s split the Spaniards.

Moto2 Race Results

  1. Izan Guevara BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2
  2. Filip Salac OnlyFans American Racing Team (+1.728s)
  3. David Alonso CFMOTO Inde Team (+2.945s)
  4. Manuel Gonzalez LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP (+4.289s)
  5. Ivan Ortola QJMOTOR – Campolor -MSI (+4.868s)

Moto2 Championship Points

  1. Manuel Gonzalez Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – 245.5
  2. Izan Guevara BLU CRU Pramac Yamaha Moto2 – 210
  3. Ivan Ortola QJMOTOR – Biolec – MSI – 168.5
  4. David Alonso CFMOTO Inde Team – 155
  5. Senna Agius LIQUI MOLY Dynavolt Intact GP – 149

Moto3

Maximo Quiles (CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team #28) strengthened his grip on the championship with a ninth victory of the season at the Red Bull Ring, capitalising on title rival David Almansa’s (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP) crash to edge closer to the crown while also securing the manufacturers’ title for KTM. Brian Uriarte (Red Bull KTM Ajo) finished second ahead of teammate Alvaro Carpe, as Quiles now heads to Motegi with a chance to wrap up the championship.

Almansa made the perfect start and led the opening laps despite briefly being instructed to surrender a position. The Spaniard quickly reclaimed the lead from polesitter Uriarte on Lap 2 and soon established a breakaway group with Quiles, Carpe and Uriarte. By Lap 3, championship leader Quiles had moved into second and began pursuing Almansa at the front.

The leading pair soon pulled clear of the rest of the field, consistently lapping around half a second quicker than those behind. As they traded fastest laps, Quiles pushed hard to remain in touch and received a track limits warning on Lap 6. Two laps later, the race was turned on its head when Almansa crashed at Turn 2b while leading, handing Quiles control of the Grand Prix. Further drama followed as Rico Salmela (Red Bull KTM Tech3 #27) crashed out of contention from a top six position.

With Almansa out, Quiles settled into a comfortable rhythm and opened a lead approaching two seconds over Uriarte and Carpe. Behind the podium places, a fierce battle for fourth featured Veda Pratama (Honda Team Asia #9), Eddie O’Shea (GRYD Racing #8), Joel Esteban (LEVELUP-MTA #78), David Muñoz (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #64), Casey O’Gorman (SIC58 Squadra Corse #67), Joel Kelso (GRYD Racing #66) and Guido Pini (Leopard Racing #94).

That contest was shaken up with five laps remaining when Muñoz crashed after contact with Pratama, who was subsequently handed a Long Lap Penalty. At the front, however, Quiles remained untroubled and crossed the line for another dominant victory, keeping alive the possibility of securing the title at the next round in Japan.

Uriarte comfortably sealed second place, while Carpe completed the podium and climbed to second in the championship standings. O’Shea claimed a career-best fourth place for GRYD Racing, and Pini rounded out the top five with his strongest result since winning at COTA.

Moto3 Race Results

  1. Maximo Quiles CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team
  2. Brian Uriarte Red Bull KTM Ajo (+2.334s)
  3. Alvaro Carpe Red Bull KTM Ajo (+7.394s)
  4. Eddie O’Shea GRYD – Racing (+20.717s)
  5. Guido Pini Leopard Racing (+20.822s)

Moto3 Championship Points

  1. Maximo Quiles CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team – 306
  2. Alvaro Carpe Red Bull KTM Ajo – 175
  3. David Almansa Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP – 174
  4. Brian Uriarte Red Bull KTM Ajo – 174
  5. Marco Morelli CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team – 146

How Did the Aussies Do?

Jack Miller (Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP #43) endured a frustrating Saturday at the Red Bull Ring, with overnight setup changes failing to deliver the desired improvement and instead creating new compromises that left him searching for a more consistent balance before finishing 20th in the Sprint.

The Aussie then had a similarly annoying Sunday race too, with ongoing setup and tyre performance issues hampering his race from the opening laps, leaving him unable to maintain a competitive pace, as he ultimately finished 21st in what proved to be Prima Pramac Yamaha’s toughest weekend of the season.

It was a disappointing qualifying session for Senna Agius (Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP #81) at the Red Bull Ring, as grip issues on his out lap contributed to a crash during his first flying lap to leave him 15th on the grid. Sadly, his race ended in disappointment as well, for the #81 was forced to retire around the halfway mark due to an electronic issue, which dropped him to fifth in the Moto2 standings.

Joel Kelso extracted the maximum from a challenging layout on Saturday to claim seventh on the grid to give himself a solid platform for the race. Onto the main dance, and Kelso spent much of the race battling in the group contesting fourth place before a costly final lap mistake dropped him to 11th to deny him the chance to potentially record his best result of the season.

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