After being on the cusp of victory so many times in MotoGP, Pedro Acosta is finally a race winner. Although he had scored a Sprint win at Buriram earlier this year, Grand Prix victory remained elusive for the Spaniard – until September. Fittingly, the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider achieved his breakthrough at Spielberg (Red Bull Ring), KTM’s home track.
A Moto3 and Moto2 World Champion before arriving in MotoGP in 2024, Acosta’s ability was evident from the start. Five podiums and MotoGP Rookie of the Year honours in his debut year were followed by five more podiums in 2025, when Acosta switched from Red Bull GasGas Tech3 to Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Victory in the season opening Sprint for 2026 suggested that first Grand Prix win was getting closer.
Ahead of the Austrian GP, Acosta said being able to deliver a win at Spielberg would be the perfect way to conclude his time with KTM before moving to the Ducati Lenovo Team in 2027. He certainly started the right way, topping the timesheets on the opening day, but would be denied in qualifying by Jorge Martin (Aprilia Racing) and Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo team) to grid up in third place.
The Sprint saw Acosta take the lead on the opening lap, then build a solid gap. However, with three laps to go and leading comfortably, Acosta lost the front end of his KTM RC16, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
With redemption required for the Grand Prix, Acosta started behind a trio of Aprilias, but would have the race lead by lap 9 of 28. Martin threatened in the closing stages, but Acosta responded, extending his lead. In front of a parochial KTM crowd, the 22-year-old made no mistakes this time, taking his first ever Grand Prix victory, and KTM’s first since 2022.
“The first one is always special, and in front of so many Austrian fans,” Acosta enthused. “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.”
