Highlights and key moments from race day at Misano

• 3rd place for Pedro Acosta, who follows up his 2nd position from the Grand Prix of Aragon with another determined charge to the box. Red Bull KTM toast a fifth podium with the Spaniard in 2026 as Pedro rises to 5th in the championship
• Points for all KTM RC16 racers with Enea Bastianini rushing to 8th, Brad Binder going from 19th to 11th and 14th for Pol Espargaro; who completes his third competitive outing as replacement for Maverick Viñales
• Moto3 trophy glory for fast and consistent Brian Uriarte with the rookie’s third podium result of the year. Collin Veijer ranks 2nd in Moto2 for his second set of silverware of the season

The 33rd Grand Prix event to mark the black Misano asphalt was busy, competitive and engaging. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 filled slots in P7 (Pedro Acosta), P12 (Pol Espargaro), P16 (Enea Bastianini) and P19 (Brad Binder) on the grid for the 27-lap distance.

Acosta, who was 6th in the Sprint on Saturday, made a strong start and then patiently built his rhythm to draw up to the rear wheel of Jorge Martin in 4th place. Pedro studied his rival, made a well-judged move and then shadowed leaders Marc and Alex Marquez. Acosta remained in striking distance of his countrymen and only eased off on the last lap; crossing the line 2.3 seconds from the winner.

Bastianini and Binder began their trawls through the pack with effective rate of progress. Enea rallied all the way up to 8th and was very close to nailing 7th. Brad tried a late lunge on Fabio Quartararo into Turn 4 to try for 10th but was denied and rested in 11th. Espargaro began the race brightly and was on the fringe of the top ten until he had to manage his stamina through the full 27-laps. Pol scored points for the second time with 14th place.

Acosta is now top five in the championship standings with 8 rounds still to come. Bastianini is 12th and Binder holds 14th.

Red Bull Ring and home territory next. The Grand Prix of Austria will start on Friday 18 September.

Pedro Acosta, 3rd and 5th in the championship: “It’s clear the motivation doesn’t go away! I’m happy! The pace was good, the bike was working quite good but we are still missing a bit in the fast sectors. Anyway, we have to be happy and the boys really deserve it.”

Enea Bastianini, 8th and 12th in the championship: “The same [scenario]. We can go fast on Friday but many times on Saturday we don’t find the same sensation on the bike and then Sunday we are competitive. We saw it today. I did some good lap-times and I’m not surprised about it because when I have confidence and support on the front of the bike then I can do it. We need to work because we are not on top and we need to find a solution.”

Brad Binder, 11th and 14th in the championship: “11th. I tried my best from the beginning until the end but I was just not fast enough. The second half of the race was better but in the first I just didn’t have the speed. All weekend I’ve been battling to find the extra I need. It would have been nice to be a bit more competitive but next week we have Austria and it’s a track that I think will suit my style a bit more and the bike too. I hope it goes better than here. Some work to do, for sure.”

Pol Espargaro, 14th and 25th in the championship: “Very tired! I think the last eight laps were too much for me. If it was a Sprint distance then I would have been more competitive…but I was struggling. I could be fast over one lap - and Sprint - but then it was difficult. I’m 35 and I’m fighting guys that are 25! This is one of the hardest tracks. I think it will be easier for me if I am riding in Austria. We will see.”

Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “A really great comeback for Pedro. Friday started well but then we didn’t have the Sprint race we wanted. As expected, the performance came back today with the harder tire option. We were stronger and Pedro showed his level. For me it is impressive how he is improving all the time. We know he has strong points but the adaptation to different conditions and different tracks is incredible. Good outings as well for Enea in 8th and Brad in 11th and Pol showed the high level of our test team. Overall, today is a big credit for all the group around who never stopped believing.”

Source: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo: KTM Images / Polarity Photo (Rob Gray)