17.08.2025

Acosta 4th in Austrian MotoGP™ as Red Bull KTM hit the top seven on home turf

MotoGP 2025 - Round 13 of 22, Red Bull Ring – Race

Pedro Acosta 2025 MotoGP Red Bull Ring Sunday © KTM Images/Polarity Photo

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The Austrian Grand Prix proved to be another strong home event for Red Bull KTM as three KTM RC16s fill positions in the top seven: more than any other manufacturer. Pedro Acosta raced to 4th position today at a warm Red Bull Ring for the thirteenth round of the season and for the resumption of the 2025 calendar. Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder classified 5th and 7th.

Pedro Acosta pushed for another podium finish with top three speed and crosses the line in P4. Taking 13 points to add to his second successive Sprint podium from Saturday
Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Enea Bastianini produces a positive performance to score P5. Teammate Maverick Viñales attempted laps on Friday and Saturday but will now rehab his injured left shoulder further
Brad Binder enjoys several on-track scraps to take P7. After reaching a personal best of P5 in the Sprint the South African shows more evidence of progressing back to speed and form
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jose Antonio Rueda finishes top five in Moto3™ as Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Valentin Perrone also stars. Brian Uriarte was victorious in both Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup as the series nears a conclusion

Home ground and happy hunting. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 managed expectation both inside and outside the pit boxes at the Red Bull Ring: a consistent venue for MotoGP in Austria since 2016. Pedro Acosta, Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini scored 3rd, 5th and 7th positions in the 14-lap Sprint on Saturday for a trio of points-scores with the KTM RC16. On Sunday and in dry but cloudy weather conditions in the Styrian region the racers were going after more plunder in the 28-lap Grand Prix.

Bastianini, starting from P5, Acosta from P7 and Binder from P11 on the grid were without Maverick Viñales who decided against competing because of his recently operated left shoulder.

Acosta made the best start and slid into podium contention. The 21-year-old set a race rhythm good enough for more silverware and was only denied P3 in the final five laps. Bastianini didn’t make the best start and had to dedicate the full potency of his tires and grip to catch positions. The Italian forced some impressive passes to rise to a decent 5th: his highest ranking of the season. Binder was also occupied with a clutch of mini-duels. At one point the South African was forced off track and out of the top five – even sustaining some bike damage in the incident - but he rode back with fiery form and achieved P7 by the flag, which equaled his second-best result of 2025 and marked his third top eight in a row.

MotoGP moves to new territory with the debut of Balaton Park and the first Hungarian Grand Prix since 1992 to occur next weekend.

Pedro Acosta, 4th and 7th in the championship standings:“We pushed until we destroyed the front tire! It’s never easy but we have to be happy. We’ve been in the top five all through the weekend. We made a big step with our race time and our potential here. We still have a lot in the pocket and we’re still learning. We wanted a podium in our home GP but we’ll keep pushing.”

Enea Bastianini, 5th and 14th in the championship standings: “I’m happy with the result; my best of the year. I made a mistake after two laps, in Turn 1, and I tried to comeback. I was strong and I did what I could. We still have some solutions to find for the future…but the improvements are clear in the last GPs. The top five was my target today. I’ve changed the bike a lot this year but we have a base set-up now and I haven’t changed anything for the past two races; only working on myself. The factory have done a good job and the new aerodynamic worked really well. We’ll continue to try being more competitive.”

Brad Binder, 7th and 11th in the championship standings: “Today could have been much better. I didn’t get a good start but made some moves and was up to 5th. I was then sent into the fans by another rider! I lost a few seconds there and one of my wings. It was tough from then on because it was hard here for the wheelie without the aero and the bike was wobbling more. It was a long race! I felt like I put up a good fight and did all I could. We got 7th today but the potential was there for more.”

Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “A really positive day for us with all three riders in the top seven. We already had some high expectations after Saturday and I think we matched them…even if the podium was perhaps the main target. Anyway, very good, and the level of performance is not only because of the updates we received from the factory and through the test team but generally the way to work and to develop. Pedro, again, a really strong race even though the podium was just out of reach and we saw a big step forward for Brad and Enea after the last GPs and that gives us optimism for the new challenge of Balaton Park.”

Grand Prix of Austria photographs can be found HERE

Results MotoGP Grand Prix of Austria

1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati 42:11.006

2. Fermin Aldeguer (ESP) Ducati +1.118

3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia +3.426

4. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +6.864

5. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +8.731

7. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +10.476

DNS. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3

World Championship standings MotoGP

1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 418 points

2. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 276

3. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati, 221

7. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 144

11. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 82

13. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 69

14. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 63

KTM GP Academy

Moto3 widened the appetite for Grand Prix action with 20 laps of tight racing on Sunday morning. Red Bull KTM Ajo have set the pace on the track and also in the Rider and Team standings so far this year and Jose Antonio Rueda and rookie teammate Alvaro Carpe had motored to 8th and 7th on the start grid for the thirteenth contest of the season. The headline maker on Saturday however was Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Valentin Perrone who put in a physics-defying time attack to capture his first career GP Pole Position and therefore enter the lead pack directly for the race. Jacob Roulstone lined-up in 12th on the grid.

Perrone was part of a breakaway group of four riders through the first half of the race. The three other Red Bull KTM RC4s were battling in the second and third groups with Rueda the next best placed inside the top ten. Tire preservation was a factor for late pace and the leading sect expanded to seven runners as Perrone continued to push and Rueda tried to claw his way into contention. Through the hectic last lap and the drag to the line Perrone was nudged wide and onto track limits and Rueda surged up to P5, 0.5 from the win. Perrone passed the flag in P8. Carpe ranked P10 and Roulstone was P14.

Rueda defends a 71-point lead in the championship, with Carpe in 5th. Red Bull KTM Ajo are the dominant team to the extent of 122 points.

Moto2 blackened the Red Bull Ring asphalt for 23 laps from midday on Sunday. Collin Veijer pushed into the dispute for the top ten and the Dutch rookie captured P8 for his best result of the season. Veijer was joined in the pit box by another youngster, Daniel Muñoz; who replaced the injured Deniz Öncü, the Turk needing surgery to his left leg after a training mishap. The Spaniard rode to 14th position and a two-point score.

On Saturday afternoon Brian Uriarte took the checkered flag by a slender 0.073 of a second for the first of two races in the 2025 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. Austria staged the penultimate fixture of the prestigious talent program, fielding identical kitted KTM race machinery, and with three riders still in pursuit of the crown. Sunday morning saw Uriarte again making the difference this time on a dry track. The Spaniard took victory by 0.087 from Veda Pratama: the Thai racer is now second in the standings. Uriarte and Pratama are separated by 21 points and with one round of the championship (50 points) left to run. The finale will take place at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in San Marino in four weeks’ time.

Results Moto3 Grand Prix of Austria

1. Angel Piqueras (ESP) 33:36.516

2. Ryusei Yamanaka (JPN) +0.096

3. David Muñoz (ESP), KTM +0.171

4. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team +0.250

5. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.541

7. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1.851

10. Alvaro Carpe (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +4.181

13. Dennis Foggia (ITA) CFMOTO Aspar Team +4.691

14. Jacob Roulstone (AUS), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +5.331

World Championship standings Moto3

1. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo 239 points