09.05.2026
MotoGP 2026 - Round 05 of 22, Le Mans, France – Qualification and Sprint
Pedro Acosta delivered the best result for Red Bull KTM today in France for round five of the 2026 MotoGP world championship. The Spaniard rode to 4th position in the Sprint after qualifying in 5th place.
Highlights and key moments from Le Mans:
- Pedro Acosta shows superior speed with the KTM RC16 around the 14 corners of the Le Mans Bugatti layout to rest less than two hundredths of a second from Pole Position and scores 4th in the Sprint
- Brad Binder recovers 10 places in the Sprint to cross the line with P12 in front of a capacity crowd in Pays de la Loire
- Moto3™ third row for Red Bull KTM Ajo pair Brian Uriarte and Alvaro Carpe, qualifying in 7th and 8th respectively with the KTM RC4
The Grand Prix of France brought history and hysteria to the 2026 MotoGP championship with the annual visit to Le Mans and a feverish fanbase for the series. The legendary motorsport site and the ‘stop-and-go’ nature of the short, 4.1km course has been the French hub for MotoGP since 2000 and has been notable for changeable weather conditions.
Pedro Acosta escaped a slow-speed crash into Turn 13 on Friday to recover and enter Q2 directly. Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder were fractions of a second away with P11 and P12 in the Practice session, meaning Q1 on Saturday morning as half a second split the top 17 riders. The conditions were bright and the lap-times were also scorching as the lap record fell in Q1. Acosta managed the 5th best chrono in Q2 – just 0.183 of a second from Pole - and confirmed the same slot on the second row of the grid. The gap from 1st to 10th was less than three tenths. Bastianini was 14th after suffering a fall at Turn 3 in the early stages of Q1 and Binder ranked 21st. Jonas Folger, filling in for Red Bull KTM Tech3 Maverick Viñales, was 22nd in his first MotoGP outing since 2023.
The Sprint laid rubber for 13 laps. Acosta was aggressive in the opening exchanges and forced his way into the top four. The Spaniard then held his ground and passed the flag 3.8 seconds from P1. Teammate Binder overtook riders and roamed for opportunities every lap even though he had grip issues. He arrived to 12th. Bastianini slid out of the running in Turn 13 after six laps and Folger crashed on the third lap.
The weather forecast for Sunday predicts rainfall. The grand prix will run for 27 laps and starts at 14.00 CEST.
Pedro Acosta, 5th in qualification, 4th in the Sprint: “Satisfied. I think we saved the day because it was so tight yesterday and also today in qualifying. It looks like the items KTM have brought have helped me more for this time attack mode because this has not been one of my strong points. I made a small mistake at the start of the Sprint, otherwise I think there was potential to be with the others for the podium but we have to be happy. We made a good comeback, some passes and a good pace.”
Brad Binder, 21st in qualification, 12th in the Sprint: “A really rough Saturday. A useless qualifying and when I put in my second tire there was no grip. Starting in almost last place was crazy and in the race I could move forward but not as much as I would have liked. After five laps I had a drop and struggled to turn because the rear was super-loose. That was pretty much my Saturday. Let’s see what we can do for tomorrow to try and improve.”
Enea Bastianini, 14th in qualification, DNF in the Sprint: “I lost the front in Turn 13 and it had been hard to recover positions. I was bringing my pace lap-by-lap but committed that small mistake. Nothing more. The pressure of the tire was a bit higher at that moment. I made some more mistakes with the hard front tire in the qualifying; it was probably not up to temperature yet. We’ll try again tomorrow. It will probably rain, so a different race.”
Jonas Folger, 22nd in qualification, DNF in the Sprint: “A short race. The crash was unexpected. We checked the data and I did nothing wrong, so it was probably a combination of things. A lot of people crashed so it shows how thin the line can be. Anyway, I enjoyed those couple of laps and was watching the other guys. Disappointed to crash but also happy with the progress I had made so far, the feeling I have from the bike and the steps. We still have a long way to go but the positive thing is that I’m understanding the bike and I’m riding similar to the others. It’s great that the team have given me so much support and help that I can do these steps in a clear direction.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Not the best day for us today with just one rider in the top ten but, of course, Pedro’s 4th place was very positive and generally this weekend has been really good. He has been strong since the beginning of the year and I feel there is more potential for the following races. Le Mans is never easy because the grip level is quite challenging here but for the longer race we are confident of fighting even nearer the front. The crashes of Enea and Jonas were unfortunate and Brad’s race was not easy to start from the back. I’m confident recent testing work in Jerez and the new aero homologation will make us stronger in the Grands Prix coming up.”
Grand Prix of France photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying MotoGP Grand Prix of France
1. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA), Ducati 1:29.634
2. Marc Marquez (ESP), Ducati +0.012
3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA), Aprilia +0.023
5. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0.183
14. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 1:30.360 (Q1)
21. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:30.825 (Q1)
22. Jonas Folger (GER) Red Bull KTM Tech3 1:31.826 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Grand Prix of France
1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Aprilia 19:46.830
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +1.107
3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia +2.786
4. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +3.808
12. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +14.708
DNF. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3
DNF. Jonas Folger (GER) Red Bull KTM Tech3
KTM GP Academy
The fastest racer on the KTM RC4 in Moto3 was Brian Uriarte but the rookie was only marginally quicker than his teammate Alvaro Carpe through a hectic end to the Q2 period. Carpe, who had signaled his intent from the very first Free Practice 1 on Friday by leading the time sheets (and was P2 in Free Practice 2 on Saturday) was part of a frantic dash in the closing minutes of qualifying, but it was Uriarte who upped his prospects. The Spaniard vied for Pole Position and was denied the front row when he clipped track limits on his last attempt. Uriarte had to settle for P7 with Carpe in P8. Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Valentine Perrone and Rico Salmela were 14th and 23rd respectively. Moto3 starts at the habitual time of 11.00 on Sunday.
In Moto2™ Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Collin Veijer set a pace around the top ten throughout the sessions. In Q2 he found a lap that confirmed 10th on the grid and with possibilities to fight for a second consecutive trophy on Sunday. Jose Antonio Rueda missed out on Q2 by only two hundredths of a second and qualified 19th. The Moto2 Grand Prix will last for 22 laps.
Round two of seven in 2026 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup took place at Le Mans and the first of the two races at the French circuit occurred on Saturday afternoon. Spain’s Beñat Fernandez has been an early protagonist of the series and triumphed for the second time in three outings. He was joined on the podium by Japan’s Ryota Ogiwara and Colombia’s Mateo Marulanda.
Results Qualifying Moto3 Grand Prix of France
1. Adrian Fernandez (ESP), Honda 1:40.044
2. Maximo Quiles (ESP), CFMOTO Aspar Team +0.140
3. Joel Kelso (AUS), Honda +0.160
4. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team +0.216
7. Brian Uriarte (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.297
8. Alvaro Carpe (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.375
14. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +0.922
23. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1:41.350 (Q1)
Results Qualifying Moto2 Grand Prix of France
1. Izan Guevara (ESP) 1:33.910
2. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team +0.086
3. Filip Salac (CZE) +0.110
7. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team +0.229
10. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.261
19. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo 1:34.456 (Q1)
PRESS CONTACT
Evangelia Sissis
PR Manager MotoGP
+43 676 665 2742