Pedro Acosta takes maiden MotoGP victory at Austrian Grand Prix ahead of Jorge Martín
KTM rider Pedro Acosta converted third on the grid into his first premier-class Grand Prix victory in Spielberg, finishing ahead of Jorge Martín and Marco Bezzecchi while Marc Márquez took fifth.
Breakthrough victory in Spielberg
Pedro Acosta secured his first MotoGP grand prix victory on Sunday at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, taking the top spot in his 56th start in the premier class. The Spanish rider, who had collected 15 podium finishes over two and a half seasons without a Sunday win, started from third on the grid. His triumph marks KTM's first grand prix victory since 2022, ending a four-year drought for the Austrian manufacturer on its home circuit. The win arrived one day after Acosta crashed out of the lead during Saturday's sprint race with three laps remaining while holding a two-second cushion. Speaking after that sprint mistake, Acosta explained the distraction on his instrument cluster.
I started looking at all the fuel warnings on the dash, I completely lost my reference point, and it was the mess that everyone saw.
Race progression and key overtakes
Starting from the front row behind pole-sitter Jorge Martín and Marc Márquez, Acosta maintained pace with the leaders from the start. Martín defended the lead into the opening turn, while Marco Bezzecchi attacked before exceeding track limits on the green runoff and returning the place. Acosta passed Ai Ogura on the opening lap and then overtook Bezzecchi on lap 4 to take second position, trailing Martín by 0.5 seconds. Acosta followed Martín closely before launching an attack on lap 9, executing a pass around the outside during a change of direction. Martín crossed the line in second place for Aprilia, while Bezzecchi took third to complete the podium.
- Acosta crashes out of the sprint race lead with three laps remaining
- Martín holds the lead from pole as Márquez drops to fifth
- Acosta overtakes Bezzecchi to take second position
- Acosta executes an outside pass on Martín to take the race lead
- Márquez falls to seventh after running wide at Turn 1
- Acosta wins ahead of Martín, Bezzecchi, and fifth-placed Márquez
Márquez loses ground in title race
Marc Márquez experienced a difficult race after starting second on the grid, struggling with rear grip issues from the outset. The Ducati rider dropped to fifth on the opening lap after being passed by Bezzecchi, Ogura, and Acosta. On lap 10, Márquez ran wide at the entrance of Turn 1 while battling Ogura, allowing Brad Binder and Fermín Aldeguer to overtake him on lap 11. Relegated to seventh position, Márquez mounted a recovery during the closing laps, overtaking Aldeguer with eight laps remaining and passing Binder to claim fifth place. The result allowed Martín to expand his championship lead over Márquez to 12 points after entering the weekend level on points.
Future team switch and rider reactions
Acosta became the 17th Spanish rider to win a premier-class grand prix, delivering a win for KTM prior to his planned transfer to the factory Ducati team alongside Márquez in 2027. KTM chief executive Gottfried Neumeister confirmed that the team attempted to retain Acosta before the rider opted for Ducati.
Pedro Acosta told me that he simply wanted to beat Marc Márquez with the same weapons.
Neumeister stated that Acosta turned down financial considerations, insisting that competing against Márquez on identical machinery was his primary motivation for making the move.
