Round five of 2026 MotoGP circulated the popular site of Le Mans and in front of another sold-out crowd of more than 112,000 spectators on Sunday and over 300,000 for the Grand Prix. Pedro Acosta was the highest ranked KTM RC16 racer with 5th position.
The weather shifted for race day at the 39th French Grand Prix at Le Mans and the 4.1km Bugatti circuit was cooler, cloudier and with the constant threat of showers. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing started the 27-laps on Sunday afternoon with Pedro Acosta 4th on the grid and Brad Binder in 20th. Red Bull KTM Tech3 watched Enea Bastianini launch from 13th and Jonas Folger, replacing Maverick Viñales for his first Grand Prix outing in three years, in 21st.
Acosta repeated his attacking and proactive approach shown in Saturday’s Sprint (where he classified 4th) to make his presence felt inside the top three in the opening laps. The Spaniard then maintained his pace while trying to fight off attention from pursuers that lasted until the final corners. Pedro was able to confirm P5 for his third top five result of the season – less than three seconds from the win - and brings him to within one point of 3rd place in the world championship table.
Bastianini had a busy grand prix with close company in mid-pack. He was able to pull free of the rider chasing him in 8th, and his standing of 7th represents his third top ten finish in a row. Folger completed the race distance in 16th while Binder charged back to the edge of the first ten runners before losing traction into Turn 7 with six laps to go.
The Grand Prix of Catalunya at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will happen next weekend for round six.
Brad Binder, DNF and 13th in the championship: “I locked the front wheel going into turn 7 and the change of direction. It was a fast crash. I braked a bit later and with a bit more pressure. It was just too much. Today I was a lot faster but not where I need to be. The positive is that this morning in warm-up I was quicker and in the race also [than Saturday]. I felt like I was on my way forward. Everything felt easier.”
