Pedro Acosta finally claimed his long-awaited first MotoGP victory on Sunday, producing a composed ride at the Red Bull Ring to win the Austrian Grand Prix for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
The 22-year-old Spaniard recovered from the disappointment of Saturday’s Sprint to beat championship leader Jorge Martín by 1.017 seconds after 28 laps. Marco Bezzecchi completed an all-Aprilia fight for the remaining podium places in third, just 0.192 seconds behind his teammate.
The victory marked Acosta’s first premier-class Grand Prix win after 15 previous MotoGP podiums. It was also KTM’s first MotoGP Grand Prix victory since Brad Binder won the 2022 Thai Grand Prix.
A Difficult Start Turns Into a Dream Finish
Acosta started from the front row after topping Friday’s Practice session, but his opening lap did not go according to plan.
Jorge Martín made it from pole, while Bezzecchi and Ai Ogura moved into second and third respectively. Acosta slipped back to fifth during the opening sequence, while Marc Márquez also lost ground.
Acosta immediately began recovering. He moved past Márquez on the opening lap before overtaking Ogura and Bezzecchi on later laps.
Meanwhile, the two factory Aprilia’s continued their battle at the front. Bezzecchi briefly took the lead from Martín at Turn 1 on Lap 2, but Martin responded almost immediately at Turn 3 to retake the position.
Acosta Takes Control
After several laps of pressure, Acosta finally made his move for the lead on Lap 9. The KTM rider got a strong drive out of Turn 1 and used the run towards Turn 2 to overtake Martín, taking first place for the first time in the Grand Prix.
From there, Acosta began building a small advantage. The Aprilia’s also refused to disappear from contention. With the race entering its final stages, Martín began closing the gap, while Bezzecchi also remained firmly in the fight.
Acosta responded with his pace when it mattered. By two laps from the finish, Acosta had extended his advantage to 1.4 seconds.
Redemption After Saturday’s Heartbreak
The victory carried additional significance after Acosta’s Sprint ended in dramatic fashion. On Saturday, Acosta had led the Sprint by almost three seconds before crashing at Turn 2 with three laps remaining. Jorge Martín inherited the lead and went on to win, taking the championship lead in the process.
Sunday’s race gave Acosta the opportunity to respond, and he did so without repeating the mistake. After crossing the line, Acosta celebrated his first MotoGP Grand Prix victory at KTM’s home event, completing the result that had narrowly escaped him the previous day.
For KTM, it was also a significant result at its home Grand Prix, with Acosta taking the manufacturer’s first premier-class Grand Prix victory in almost four years.
Aprilia Completes the Podium
Martín held onto second place despite the pressure behind him, securing another podium and strengthening his position at the top of the championship. Bezzecchi finished third, only 0.192 seconds behind his teammate, while Trackhouse’s Ogura took fourth on his return from injury.
The result gave Aprilia three of the first four positions at the finish and saw Martín and Bezzecchi both collect their second podiums of the Austrian weekend after also finishing on the Sprint podium.
Ogura’s fourth-place finish was particularly notable given that the Austrian Grand Prix was his first race weekend back after his injury layoff. He finished only 0.930 seconds behind Bezzecchi.
Márquez Loses Ground
Marc Márquez endured a more difficult Sunday. The reigning champion finished fifth, 7.339 seconds behind Acosta, after falling as low as seventh during the race. He eventually recovered two positions, passing Fermín Aldeguer late in the race to become the leading Ducati rider.
Álex Márquez’s race ended early after the Gresini Ducati rider crashed at Turn 2 on Lap 11, bringing his Austrian Grand Prix to a premature end. The incident added to a difficult weekend for the Spaniard, who had already crashed during Friday’s Practice session.
Brad Binder finished sixth for KTM, followed by Francesco Bagnaia in seventh. Aldeguer crossed the line eighth after being handed a three-second post-race penalty for causing contact. Fabio Di Giannantonio finished ninth, while Johann Zarco completed the top ten.
Martin Leaves Austria on Top
Martín’s second-place finish proved important for the championship. The Aprilia rider arrived in Austria level on points with Marc Márquez at the top of the standings, but his Sprint victory and Sunday’s podium allowed him to extend his advantage.
Martín now leads Márquez by 12 points heading into the Japanese Grand Prix, while Bezzecchi sits third, 42 points behind Martin. For Acosta, however, the focus is on a milestone that has been nearly three years in the making.
After 15 MotoGP podiums without a Grand Prix victory, the KTM rider finally stood on the top step, and he did it at KTM’s home circuit, less than 24 hours after watching his first victory of the weekend disappear in the Sprint.
Feature image courtesy of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing / Rob Gray (Polarity Photo)