Acosta Sixth in British MotoGP Sprint; Espargaro Makes Season Debut for KTM
Pedro Acosta scored sixth place and four points in the British Grand Prix Sprint at Silverstone, while fill-in rider Pol Espargaro finished 18th.
- 6th
- 4
- 0.7s
- 10
What Happened
Red Bull KTM ended the 10-lap British Grand Prix Sprint at a sun-soaked Silverstone with Pedro Acosta sixth, scoring four points for the tenth time in Saturday qualifying sessions this season. Brad Binder charged late to 11th, four positions ahead of Enea Bastianini in 15th, while Pol Espargaro took 18th in his first competitive MotoGP appearance of 2026. Jorge Martin won for Aprilia ahead of Ai Ogura and Marco Bezzecchi; Acosta finished 10.745 seconds behind. Binder used a medium rear tire and was among the fastest in the closing stages, and Bastianini described the track as complicated. Eight riders beat the old lap record in Friday practice, and Acosta qualified ninth, 0.7s from pole, on a circuit that forms MotoGP's longest lap and has hosted the British Grand Prix for nearly 50 years.
Maverick Viñales was not fit after the three-week summer hiatus because of recent shoulder complications, so Red Bull KTM Tech3 called on Pol Espargaro. Espargaro took a break from testing duties with the new KTM 850cc prototype to make his first Grand Prix outing of the season. He started 21st and finished 18th after a tussle with former world champion Francesco Bagnaia. The Spaniard said he fought too much at the start and the tire dropped when he was alone.
“The tire drop was worse than we expected. It is much hotter than last year here so maybe that didn’t help. I started to have problems from lap three and it was a long race managing. I came back a bit by lap five and then dropped again. Some other riders suffered more than me…but others were faster than me. Let’s see tomorrow.”
“In and around the top ten is not too bad for a result especially because Silverstone was a challenging track for us as well last year. We are making steps forward and we’re waiting for tomorrow’s race where the longer distance should help us reach higher positions. This has to be the target. The end of the Sprint today showed some positive reactions and we are hopeful for Sunday.”
- Pedro Acosta – 9th in Q2 (+0.722s), 6th in Sprint (+10.745s), 4 points
- Brad Binder – 18th on grid (1:58.081, Q1), 11th in Sprint (+14.142s)
- Enea Bastianini – 19th on grid (1:58.120, Q1), 15th in Sprint (+16.892s)
- Pol Espargaro – 21st on grid (1:58.414, Q1), 18th in Sprint (+24.380s)
Moto3 qualifying saw Valentin Perrone take third on the front row for Red Bull KTM Tech3, 0.332s behind pole sitter Scott Ogden and 0.3s off pole; Adrian Cruces qualified second. Alvaro Carpe took fifth for Red Bull KTM Ajo, Brian Uriarte seventh, and Rico Salmela 19th on his first Silverstone attempt. In Moto2, Izan Guevara claimed pole ahead of Alonso Lopez and Ivan Ortola, with 14 riders within a second. Daniel Holgado (CFMOTO Inde Aspar) was seventh, Collin Veijer 15th after a red flag in Q2, David Alonso 19th, and Jose Antonio Rueda 23rd in his first Moto2 laps at Silverstone.
Sunday's 20-lap MotoGP race will start at 13.00 local time (14.00 CEST). The day's programme opens with Moto2 at 12.15 rather than Moto3. Aki Ajo expects the longer distance to help KTM reach higher positions, while Brad Binder said the medium tire option gave him a good idea of what the team can do tomorrow.
Previously from KTM AG
Pol Espargaro will replace Maverick Viñales at the British Grand Prix. KTM Sportmotorcycle made that announcement ahead of the round.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of KTM AG's official releases.
Why this matters
KTM considers sixth place a step forward at a track that was challenging last year, and the longer Sunday race is expected to help the team reach higher positions. Acosta's result also shows how a rider can manage tire degradation to score points and maintain consistency in the championship. Pol Espargaro's stand-in role highlights how teams cope when a regular rider is unfit.
Terms in This Story
- MotoGP
- The premier class of motorcycle Grand Prix racing.
- Sprint
- A short race held on Saturday that sets the grid for Sunday's main race.
- Moto3
- The lightweight class of the MotoGP world championship.
- Q1/Q2
- Qualifying sessions that determine grid positions; Q2 decides the front of the grid.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.