Pedro Acosta scorched to a strong runner-up status at another sun-kissed round of 2026 MotoGP. The Spaniard starred at a third Grand Prix on home turf this season and was vying for victory on the KTM RC16 at MotorLand Aragon.
Red Bull KTM lined up for the 23-lap MotoGP Grand Prix at Aragon optimistic of podium potential thanks to Pedro Acosta’s bright run to 4th in the Saturday Sprint. #37 started from P6 on the grid with Brad Binder in 14th, Enea Bastianini in 16th and Pol Espargaro, replacing Red Bull KTM Tech3 racer Maverick Viñales for the second meeting in succession, from 20th.
The 5km diverse, anticlockwise layout combined with the high summer temperatures meant a long and draining Grand Prix distance with tire management again an important component of the race. 115,742 spectators filled the stands.
Acosta swung through Turn 1 and survived some bustling to find his way to P3. He produced a majestic overtaking move on Marco Bezzecchi into Turn 16 to swoop into 2nd with 16 laps to go. Pedro then shadowed Marc Marquez and kept to within a second of his countryman, setting fastest laps and stretching the limit. The gap was 1.7 seconds at the finish. Acosta and Red Bull KTM celebrated his joint-highest result of the season and his first rostrum appearance since the Grand Prix of Hungary.
Brad dove into the top 12 on the first lap but ran off track at Turn 12 and then had to race back from 20th. The South African reached 13th and joined the large group going for the top ten with Enea also in the fray. Bastianini hassled the rear wheel of Diogo Moreira for 8th and got the better of the Brazilian in the final few turns while Brad also gave everything to arrive to P10. Pol’s P16 meant he just missed out on the points.
Acosta is 6th in the championship standings and with a 15-point gap to the top five.
The next event on the 2026 calendar will take place at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the San Marino Grand Prix from 11-13 of September.
Pedro Acosta, 2nd and 6th in the championship: “We were the surprise today! I think the progression we made from Friday was quite clear. I’m super-happy for that. I thought we had a big possibility in the middle of the race but I think I used the tires a bit too much at that moment to be with Marc. Anyway, we have to be happy because these results make the atmosphere of the team even better.”
Brad Binder, 10th and 13th in the championship: “I made my life difficult today. My rear tire pressure wasn’t up when I braked into Turn 11 so I lost the rear completely and blew the entrance into 12. I then got hung out to dry into the last corner. The next lap around I saw ‘P20’ and I knew I had a big job on my hands! I came back to 10th so I cannot complain too much. A solid enough comeback but…I have some work to do. Learning curves. I feel like we are making progress. If we can make a bit of extra speed then we’ll make a jump closer to the front.”
