Pedro Acosta Finishes 8th in MotoGP Sprint at Sachsenring Despite Recent Wrist Surgery
Red Bull KTM's Pedro Acosta overcame recent carpal tunnel surgery to finish eighth in the MotoGP Sprint at the Sachsenring, securing two championship points.
- 8th
- 2
- 0.7 seconds
- Moto3 pole position
What Happened
At the MotoGP Sachsenring, Round 11 of 22, Red Bull KTM's Pedro Acosta finished eighth in the Sprint after qualifying tenth. Teammates Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini took 12th and 14th, respectively, while Maverick Viñales placed 19th. The tight qualifying saw the top 17 riders within one second, and Q2's 12 riders were separated by only 0.7 seconds.
Pedro Acosta qualifies 10th in Q2; Brad Binder 16th, Enea Bastianini 17th, Maverick Viñales 20th in Q1.
Acosta finishes 8th in the 15-lap Sprint; Binder 12th, Bastianini 14th, Viñales 19th. Brian Uriarte takes Moto3 pole.
- Qualified 10th → Sprint 8th
- Qualified 16th → Sprint 12th
- Qualified 17th → Sprint 14th
“I’m super-happy with my hand; I feel the fingers, the hand and everything is on-point. We are struggling with the front tire at the moment. We start OK but then cannot keep the pace. It is what it is.”
In Moto3, Red Bull KTM Ajo's Brian Uriarte claimed his first career pole position, with teammate Alvaro Carpe fifth and Rico Salmela sixth. In Moto2, Collin Veijer and Jose Antonio Rueda qualified ninth and tenth. The Red Bull Rookies Cup saw Ryota Ogiwara win the first race from an eight-rider battle.
Why this matters
Acosta's performance shows he is recovering well from surgery and remains competitive in a tightly contested MotoGP field. The results also highlight the challenges KTM riders face with front tire grip and understeer, setting the stage for adjustments in Sunday's Grand Prix. For Moto3 rookie Brian Uriarte, his first career pole position marks a promising start.
Terms in This Story
- Sprint
- A short race held on Saturday to set the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix, awarding points to the top nine finishers.
- Q2
- The second qualifying session where the fastest 12 riders compete for grid positions.
- Pole Position
- The first starting position on the grid, awarded to the fastest qualifier.
- Moto3
- The entry-level class of the MotoGP world championship, featuring 250cc four-stroke engines.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.