2026 Austrian MotoGP, Red Bull Ring - Race Results

Pedro Acosta is finally an official MotoGP winner, breaking his premier-class drought in style at KTM’s home Red Bull Ring race.

After crashing from the lead in the Sprint and falling again in warm-up, Pedro Acosta lost ground from third to fifth at the start. However, he swiftly picked his way forward to take the lead from Sprint winner Jorge Martin on lap 9 of 28.

This time there was no fumble and, after two and a half years, Acosta kept title leader Martin at bay to become a premier-class grand prix winner after a record 15 previous podiums. 

Acosta, joining Ducati next season, took a first Sprint win in the Buriram opener. The Spaniard celebrated on Sunday by placing his RC16 on its side at the chicane on the slow-down lap, the place where he crashed yesterday!

• Austria: New 2026 MotoGP World Championship standings

Marco Bezzecchi put late pressure on team-mate Martin for third, followed closely by Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura, in fourth on his return from injury. 

Marc Marquez struggles

Marc Marquez, who lost the title lead to Martin after finishing runner-up in the Sprint, never had the pace to challenge the leading Aprilias and Acosta.

Instead, the reigning champion had to fight hard just to finish as the top Ducati, re-passing Gresini's Fermin Aldeguer for fifth in the closing stages. 

Aldeguer later lost out to Acosta's team-mate Brad Binder, then was demoted to eighth - behind Pecco Bagnaia - by a post-race penalty. Fabio di Giannantonio and Johann Zarco completed the top ten.

All riders chose medium compound tyres, front and rear.

An 850cc/Pirelli test takes place at the Red Bull Ring on Monday. The Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, the first of the flyaway rounds, then takes place from 2-4 October.

* Rookie

Warm-up:

Marco Bezzecchi moves to the top of the timesheets for the first time this weekend during warm-up for the 2026 Austrian MotoGP, as Pedro Acosta crashes again.

Acosta - who fell from the lead of Saturday’s Sprint, handing victory to Bezzecchi’s Aprilia team-mate Jorge Martin - slid off at highspeed into Turn 9 in the final minute, sending his KTM cartwheeling through the gravel.

It was the second incident for the home KTM squad after Brad Binder suffered an early highside at Turn 4, leaving him without a lap time. Both riders walked away from their accidents, Acosta visibly angry at his mistake as he returned to the garage.

Bezzecchi led the session by 0.157s from Sprint runner-up Marc Marquez, with Acosta third and title leader Martin in fourth.

All but three riders had used the soft rear tyre in the Sprint, but most fitted the medium in warm-up to prepare for the 28-lap Grand Prix.

Only Pecco Bagnaia and Pol Espargaro picked the soft this morning.

However, all riders used the soft front, rather than the medium used in both races, which may well have caught Acosta out this morning...

* Rookie

Official Red Bull Ring MotoGP Records:

• Best lap: Jorge Martin, Ducati, 1m 27.748s (2024)
• Fastest race lap: Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati, 1m 29.519s (2024)

Tech3 KTM’s Maverick Vinales is missing his fourth event in a row, due to his shoulder injuries, and is again replaced by Pol Espargaro.

Joan Mir is also absent. The HRC rider retired early in last weekend’s Misano race due to extreme fatigue, saying: “I had no energy or power on the bike.”

Subsequent medical checks in Barcelona discovered ‘altered parameters in the blood’ which require further investigation.

Honda test rider Takaaki Nakagami is taking Mir’s place.

A private Pirelli/850cc test, the second of the year to feature race riders, will be held at the track on Monday.