MotoGP 2026
Round 15 – Red Bull Ring – Sunday
Acosta delivers for KTM on home soil
Twenty-four hours after throwing away a golden opportunity in the Sprint, Pedro Acosta returned to the Red Bull Ring and finished the job. This time there was no escape gifted by an opening-lap skirmish between his rivals. The Spaniard had to work his way through three Aprilias, take the lead from Jorge Martin and then keep the championship leader at arm’s length over the remainder of a demanding 28-lap Austrian Grand Prix.
He did so by just over a second, ending both his own wait for a MotoGP Grand Prix victory and KTM’s drought stretching back 1,449 days to Miguel Oliveira’s triumph in Thailand in 2022.
Martin took second ahead of team-mate Marco Bezzecchi, with Ai Ogura completing another three-Aprilia showing in the top four. Marc Marquez salvaged fifth while contending with brake problems throughout the race, leaving Austria 12 points behind Martin after arriving level with the Aprilia rider.
Acosta even found time to take the mickey out of himself on the cool-down lap, lying down at the chicane where his Sprint had unravelled. Jack Miller then arrived to lend a hand with an attempted push-start, adding another chapter to the Australian’s long-running paddock taxi service.
Pedro Acosta
“The first one is always special, and in front of so many Austrian fans. There were many KTM t-shirts and I’m so happy for the team, they deserve it more than me. I had many good people around yesterday when I f**ked up. This result was amazing.”
Aprilia launch an early ambush
Martin made the most of pole position to claim the holeshot, Bezzecchi launched from fourth to second and Ogura joined them to make it an Aprilia 1-2-3 through the opening exchanges. Acosta recovered from a less effective getaway to pass Marquez for fourth before the end of the first lap, with Bagnaia sixth.
Bezzecchi briefly wrestled the lead from Martin at Turn One on lap two, only for the Spaniard to reclaim it at Turn Three. Behind them, Acosta passed Ogura at Turn Six and immediately set about closing on the factory Aprilias.
Acosta’s 1m29.723s was the fastest second lap, although Binder also dipped into the 1m29s further back. The KTM spearhead then went quicker again on each of the next two laps, passing Bezzecchi at the chicane on lap four and setting what would remain the fastest lap of the race, a 1m29.533s.
That was only 14-thousandths outside Bagnaia’s 2024 race lap record. Martin’s best, also on lap four, was 1m29.664s.
The timing underlined Acosta’s early strength. He ended the opening lap 0.923 seconds behind Martin, but reduced that deficit to just 0.069 seconds by the end of lap eight. Across those seven flying laps, he gained 0.854 seconds, averaging just over a tenth per lap faster despite having to pass both Ogura and Bezzecchi.
Martin and Acosta were beginning to stretch away from Bezzecchi, while Ogura came under increasing pressure from Marquez. Further back, Binder and Fermin Aldeguer both passed Bagnaia on lap six, dropping the factory Ducati rider to eighth.
Acosta strikes as Marquez runs into trouble
After showing Martin a wheel on lap eight, Acosta made the decisive move on the following lap. A strong exit from Turn One put the KTM alongside on the approach to the chicane, and the lead changed hands.
Acosta immediately established a little breathing room, completing that lap with a 0.530-second advantage. It was a useful cushion, but Martin never allowed the race to become a procession.
Marquez had meanwhile passed Ogura for fourth on lap nine, only for his progress to unravel at Turn One next time around. The Ducati stepped dramatically sideways under braking and ran wide, allowing Ogura back through before Binder also demoted Marquez.
Another difficult Turn One on lap 11 opened the door for Aldeguer, leaving Marquez seventh. Marc’s lap-nine deficit to Acosta was 2.577 seconds, but laps of 1m32.156s and 1m31.222s stretched that to 5.260 seconds by the end of lap 11.
Marquez was managing brake problems throughout the race. Bagnaia also reported brake trouble later in the Grand Prix, as did Aldeguer, making it an issue that affected several Ducati riders rather than Marquez alone.
Alex Marquez’s afternoon ended at the chicane on lap 13. His retirement left 21 riders to reach the chequered flag.
Aldeguer passed Binder for fifth on lap 14, with Marc Marquez following through a lap later. Marquez eventually reclaimed fifth from Aldeguer on lap 20, but by then Ogura was almost four seconds ahead and the battle for the leading positions had escaped him.
Martin keeps the pressure on
Acosta could not simply disappear once he reached the front. His advantage over Martin was 0.830 seconds after lap 15 and 1.026 seconds after lap 20, with Bezzecchi maintaining a watching brief behind his team-mate.
When Acosta slipped into the 1m31s on lap 21, Martin took back 0.232 seconds to reduce the gap to 0.794. All three chasing Aprilias were quicker than the KTM on that lap, with Ogura the fastest of the leading quartet.
Acosta responded with a 1m30.693s on lap 22, beating both factory Aprilias and restoring some breathing room. By the end of lap 24, his lead had grown to 1.268 seconds. There was enough speed left to answer Martin when required, even as the lap times of all four leaders gradually climbed.
Ogura was quietly putting together an impressive finish of his own. His deficit to Acosta came down from 2.954 seconds after lap 15 to 2.139 seconds at the flag, and he finished only 0.930 seconds behind Bezzecchi. Two fourth-place finishes on his return from a fractured left thumb were an emphatic response to any questions over his readiness for his home Grand Prix.
Acosta began the final lap 1.242 seconds clear. Martin had a more immediate concern in Bezzecchi, who had closed to within striking distance, but the championship leader kept his team-mate behind to secure second by just 0.192 seconds.
For Acosta, a 16th premier-class Grand Prix podium finally came with the winner’s trophy. He became the 126th different premier-class Grand Prix winner and the second rider to claim a maiden victory this season, following Ogura at Assen. KTM’s eighth MotoGP Grand Prix win was its third at the Red Bull Ring, after Oliveira in 2020 and Binder in 2021.
Jorge Martin
“It was a great weekend. Getting back to this level of speed and having good fitness after the doubts in Misano make me extremely happy. I wanted to fight for the win, but battling with Pedro was quite difficult, although I tried all the way to the end.”
Marco Bezzecchi
“We truly achieved the maximum, and I’m pleased with the way I improved throughout the weekend. My performance wasn’t bad on Friday, but I wasn’t on par with the leaders. Saturday, we managed to remediate, even with a bit of luck. In the race, on the other hand, I think it was truly a good result. At the end, I got very close to Jorge. I may have missed the opportunity to try and overtake on turn 1 because of a small mistake, but in any case, I gave it one hundred percent.”
Ai Ogura
“This weekend was a total surprise, in a good way. Fourth position in both races, had a good Qualifying, no crashes, it cannot be better. We are super happy about the weekend and the most important thing, for me, was we were a lot closer to the top guys today. I had a good start and was in the mix all the time. I’m happy to have this kind of race already in the first race after injury. It was just a good weekend, so onto the next.”
Binder sixth, Aldeguer penalised
Marquez finished 7.339 seconds behind Acosta and 5.200 seconds adrift of Ogura. Fifth limited the championship damage, but Austria had provided a clear reversal of the momentum Ducati enjoyed at Misano.
Binder made it two factory KTMs in the top six, securing his best Grand Prix result of the season after starting 11th. He passed Aldeguer late in the race to finish 8.720 seconds behind his victorious team-mate.
Aldeguer crossed the line seventh, but a three-second penalty for causing contact dropped him behind Bagnaia in the classification. The sanction was applied in place of a long-lap penalty because there was insufficient time to serve it. Bagnaia was therefore seventh and Aldeguer eighth, ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio and Johann Zarco.
Di Giannantonio found some improvement in rear grip with a morning set-up change but could not sustain his early competitiveness. Zarco recovered from a difficult opening lap to finish as the leading Honda, keeping Enea Bastianini behind by 0.374 seconds.
Bastianini gained six places from his grid position but lacked the front-end confidence to break into the top ten. Fellow Tech3 rider Pol Espargaro lost ground after running wide and suffering contact that damaged his side aero, eventually finishing 16th, less than two-tenths outside the points.
Raul Fernandez finished 12th, narrowly ahead of Takaaki Nakagami. Standing in for Joan Mir, Nakagami advanced from 18th on the grid to lead the factory Hondas home and collect his first MotoGP points since Le Mans in 2025. Luca Marini followed in 14th, with Diogo Moreira taking the final point.
A difficult Sunday for Yamaha and Miller
None of the four Yamahas scored. Fabio Quartararo fought inside the top ten during the first half of the race, despite having to surrender a position for gaining an advantage at Turn One, but tyre degradation eventually pushed him back to 17th.
Franco Morbidelli finished 18th ahead of Alex Rins, while Toprak Razgatlioglu and Jack Miller completed the finishers in 20th and 21st.
Pramac described Austria as its most difficult weekend of the season. Razgatlioglu reported a lack of rear grip from the opening laps, while Miller said his tyre performance deteriorated markedly around lap 13 or 14. The Australian finished more than a minute behind Acosta before lending his former KTM colleague a hand on the cool-down lap.
Jack Miller
“It’s honestly a pretty frustrating one, and I’m disappointed with how the race went. I was able to hang in there reasonably well in the first part of the race, but from around lap 13 or 14 the tyre performance really started to drop and I struggled a lot with the rear. Once that happened, there was not much I could do. I was trying to pick the bike up and manage the acceleration, but I was still getting a lot of spin and losing time. It became more about trying to get the bike to the finish than fighting for the positions we wanted.”
Martin takes a 12-point advantage to Japan
Martin’s Sprint victory and Grand Prix second delivered 32 points for the weekend against Marquez’s 20. Having arrived level on 274, the pair leave Austria on 306 and 294 respectively.
Bezzecchi remains third on 264 points, 42 behind his team-mate, while Acosta’s victory lifts him to fourth on 234, ahead of Di Giannantonio on 230 and Ogura on 222.
Aprilia leaves with its first Spielberg double podiums in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix, three bikes in the top four in both races, and a ten-point lead over Ducati in the constructors’ championship. Martin’s 39th premier-class Grand Prix podium also brings him level with Kenny Roberts.
The next round takes place at Motegi on October 2-4. Acosta heads there with the breakthrough finally behind him, Martin with renewed confidence and the championship lead, and Ducati with brake issues to investigate before another circuit renowned for hard braking.
Red Bull Ring MotoGP Race Results
 |
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|---|---|---|---|
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Pos
|
Rider
|
Bike
|
Time/Gap
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1
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P. Acosta
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KTM
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42m16.996
|
|
2
|
J. Martin
|
Apr
|
+1.017
|
|
3
|
M. Bezzecchi
|
Apr
|
+1.209
|
|
4
|
A. Ogura
|
Apr
|
+2.139
|
|
5
|
M. Marquez
|
Duc
|
+7.339
|
|
6
|
B. Binder
|
KTM
|
+8.720
|
|
7
|
F. Bagnaia
|
Duc
|
+9.686
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8
|
F. Aldeguer
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Duc
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+12.365
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9
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F. Di Giannantonio
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Duc
|
+14.869
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10
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J. Zarco
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Hon
|
+16.266
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11
|
E. Bastianini
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KTM
|
+16.640
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12
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R. Fernandez
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Apr
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+20.940
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13
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T. Nakagami
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Hon
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+21.032
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14
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L. Marini
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Hon
|
+22.391
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15
|
D. Moreira
|
Hon
|
+24.949
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|
16
|
P. Espargaro
|
KTM
|
+25.148
|
|
17
|
F. Quartararo
|
Yam
|
+30.140
|
|
18
|
F. Morbidelli
|
Duc
|
+34.200
|
|
19
|
A. Rins
|
Yam
|
+34.413
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|
20
|
T. Razgatlioglu
|
Yam
|
+46.724
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21
|
J. Miller
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Yam
|
+1m07.530
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DNF
|
A. Marquez
|
Duc
|
+16 laps
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2026 MotoGP Championship Standings
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||
|---|---|---|
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Pos
|
Rider
|
Points
|
|
1
|
J. Martin
|
306
|
|
2
|
M. Marquez
|
294
|
|
3
|
M. Bezzecchi
|
264
|
|
4
|
P. Acosta
|
234
|
|
5
|
F. Di Giannantonio
|
230
|
|
6
|
A. Ogura
|
222
|
|
7
|
R. Fernandez
|
203
|
|
8
|
A. Marquez
|
158
|
|
9
|
F. Bagnaia
|
156
|
|
10
|
F. Aldeguer
|
115
|
|
11
|
L. Marini
|
98
|
|
12
|
E. Bastianini
|
97
|
|
13
|
B. Binder
|
94
|
|
14
|
D. Moreira
|
65
|
|
15
|
F. Quartararo
|
61
|
|
16
|
F. Morbidelli
|
56
|
|
17
|
J. Zarco
|
45
|
|
18
|
J. Mir
|
33
|
|
19
|
J. Miller
|
28
|
|
20
|
A. Rins
|
24
|
|
21
|
T. Razgatlioglu
|
18
|
|
22
|
M. Viñales
|
10
|
|
23
|
I. Lecuona
|
9
|
|
24
|
A. Fernandez
|
6
|
|
25
|
P. Espargaro
|
5
|
|
26
|
T. Nakagami
|
3
|
|
27
|
C. Crutchlow
|
0
|
|
28
|
J. Folger
|
0
|
|
29
|
L. Savadori
|
0
|
|
30
|
M. Pirro
|
0
|
2026 MotoGP Calendar
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Rnd
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Date
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Event
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Circuit
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| 16 |
04 Oct
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Japan
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Mobility Resort Motegi
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| 17 |
11 Oct
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Indonesia
|
Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit
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| 18 |
25 Oct
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Australia
|
Phillip Island
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| 19 |
01 Nov
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Malaysia
|
Petronas Sepang International Circuit
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| 20 |
08 Nov
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Qatar
|
Lusail International Circuit
|
| 21 |
22 Nov
|
Portugal
|
Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
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| 22 |
29 Nov
|
Valencia
|
Circuit Ricardo Tormo
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Red Bull Ring MotoGP Race Results
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Pos
|
Rider
|
Bike
|
Time/Gap
|
|
1
|
P. Acosta
|
KTM
|
42m16.996
|
|
2
|
J. Martin
|
Apr
|
+1.017
|
|
3
|
M. Bezzecchi
|
Apr
|
+1.209
|
|
4
|
A. Ogura
|
Apr
|
+2.139
|
|
5
|
M. Marquez
|
Duc
|
+7.339
|
|
6
|
B. Binder
|
KTM
|
+8.720
|
|
7
|
F. Bagnaia
|
Duc
|
+9.686
|
|
8
|
F. Aldeguer
|
Duc
|
+12.365
|
|
9
|
F. Di Giannantonio
|
Duc
|
+14.869
|
|
10
|
J. Zarco
|
Hon
|
+16.266
|
|
11
|
E. Bastianini
|
KTM
|
+16.640
|
|
12
|
R. Fernandez
|
Apr
|
+20.940
|
|
13
|
T. Nakagami
|
Hon
|
+21.032
|
|
14
|
L. Marini
|
Hon
|
+22.391
|
|
15
|
D. Moreira
|
Hon
|
+24.949
|
|
16
|
P. Espargaro
|
KTM
|
+25.148
|
|
17
|
F. Quartararo
|
Yam
|
+30.140
|
|
18
|
F. Morbidelli
|
Duc
|
+34.200
|
|
19
|
A. Rins
|
Yam
|
+34.413
|
|
20
|
T. Razgatlioglu
|
Yam
|
+46.724
|
|
21
|
J. Miller
|
Yam
|
+1m07.530
|
|
DNF
|
A. Marquez
|
Duc
|
+16 laps
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2026 MotoGP Championship Standings
|
||
|---|---|---|
|
Pos
|
Rider
|
Points
|
|
1
|
J. Martin
|
306
|
|
2
|
M. Marquez
|
294
|
|
3
|
M. Bezzecchi
|
264
|
|
4
|
P. Acosta
|
234
|
|
5
|
F. Di Giannantonio
|
230
|
|
6
|
A. Ogura
|
222
|
|
7
|
R. Fernandez
|
203
|
|
8
|
A. Marquez
|
158
|
|
9
|
F. Bagnaia
|
156
|
|
10
|
F. Aldeguer
|
115
|
|
11
|
L. Marini
|
98
|
|
12
|
E. Bastianini
|
97
|
|
13
|
B. Binder
|
94
|
|
14
|
D. Moreira
|
65
|
|
15
|
F. Quartararo
|
61
|
|
16
|
F. Morbidelli
|
56
|
|
17
|
J. Zarco
|
45
|
|
18
|
J. Mir
|
33
|
|
19
|
J. Miller
|
28
|
|
20
|
A. Rins
|
24
|
|
21
|
T. Razgatlioglu
|
18
|
|
22
|
M. Viñales
|
10
|
|
23
|
I. Lecuona
|
9
|
|
24
|
A. Fernandez
|
6
|
|
25
|
P. Espargaro
|
5
|
|
26
|
T. Nakagami
|
3
|
|
27
|
C. Crutchlow
|
0
|
|
28
|
J. Folger
|
0
|
|
29
|
L. Savadori
|
0
|
|
30
|
M. Pirro
|
0
|
2026 MotoGP Calendar
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Rnd
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Date
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Event
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Circuit
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| 16 |
04 Oct
|
Japan
|
Mobility Resort Motegi
|
| 17 |
11 Oct
|
Indonesia
|
Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit
|
| 18 |
25 Oct
|
Australia
|
Phillip Island
|
| 19 |
01 Nov
|
Malaysia
|
Petronas Sepang International Circuit
|
| 20 |
08 Nov
|
Qatar
|
Lusail International Circuit
|
| 21 |
22 Nov
|
Portugal
|
Autodromo Internacional do Algarve
|
| 22 |
29 Nov
|
Valencia
|
Circuit Ricardo Tormo
|
