29.08.2026
MotoGP 2026 - Round 13 of 22, MotorLand Aragon – Qualification and Sprint
Red Bull KTM rushed around the kinks and curves of a hot MotorLand circuit for the Grand Prix of Aragon and watched Pedro Acosta seize 4th place – just half a second from the podium - in the thirteenth MotoGP Sprint of the season.
Highlights and key moments from MotorLand:
- Pedro Acosta starts from 6th and throttles his KTM RC16 to 4th position: 0.6 of a second from a rostrum appearance and just 2.5 seconds from Sprint victory in Spain
- Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder battle on the edge of the top ten through the 11-lap contest and score P14 and P15
-Pol Espargaro fills in once more for Maverick Viñales, who continues to build strength in his right shoulder to be able to return to Grand Prix action. Pol takes P17 on Saturday
- Moto3™ and Moto2™ second row slots for Brian Uriarte and Collin Veijer respectively with extremely close qualifying classifications in each category
2026 MotoGP fired into life after a two-week hiatus. The championship visited the Spanish mainland for the third time this year with the trip to the open plains of Aragon and the MotorLand circuit. The 5km anticlockwise layout first hosted MotoGP in 2010, was resurfaced for 2025 and is renowned for its technical mix of corners and sections.
On Friday Pedro Acosta clocked a 1:46.064 – half a second from the top time – to head into Q2 directly for Saturday. Enea Bastianini, Brad Binder and Espargaro had more work to do with a run through Q1 on Saturday morning.
With the sun shining down on MotorLand for qualifying Acosta charged through Q2 and was a tenth of a second from the old lap record with his first flying lap. The Spaniard went even quicker on his next attempt and ended with P6 and the final slot of the second row. Binder came within a tenth of a second of making the Q1 cut and rested with P14 while Bastianini was P16 on the grid and Espargaro in P20.
Acosta started brightly in the Sprint and gave chase to the rear wheel of former championship leader Marco Bezzecchi for the duration. Pedro was one of the fastest riders on track all the way to the checkered flag and his form bodes well for the longer Grand Prix distance on Sunday. His 4th position represents the fifth top five result from 13 outings in 2026. Enea initially made good ground to reach 12th and Brad tried to follow in the slipstream but both riders were part of an intense mid-pack dispute. Bastianini and Binder crossed the line together in 14th and 15th. Pol was 3,5 seconds in arrears in 17th.
MotoGP lights-out will happen at 14.00 CEST on Sunday and the Grand Prix will circulate for 23 laps.
Pedro Acosta, 6th in qualification, 4th in the Sprint: “I’m a bit sad because I was making too many mistakes and I feel I had a bit more potential. The bike was feeling quite good but I made a mistake with my space on the grid and had to get off and broke one of my rear wings. I was then struggling to turn in the fast corners. I think we could have done better but then also quite happy because this is one of the first times in my MotoGP career that I made my fastest lap on the last one. Happy with 4th today considering how tough the race was.”
Brad Binder, 14th in qualification, 15th in the Sprint: “Qualifying was a bit better. I was close to going through. I didn’t feel so good in the race and had three off-track excursions. Not very clever; especially in a Sprint. I’m a bit disappointed because we could have done a much better job. At least we used our race rubber so we learned something for tomorrow.”
Enea Bastianini, 16th in qualification, 14th in the Sprint: “The start was not so bad but I had some contact, and the first lap was a mess. By the middle of the race I was quite fast, then the front tire dropped and I lost a few positions. Nothing. A strange race.”
Pol Espargaro, 20th in qualification, 17th in the Sprint: “A lot of things happened! A typical Sprint. I had a super-bad start and then Luca Marini crashed in front and I lost some positions. I ran wide and then Fabio Quartararo blew the engine in front of me and I disappeared! I had to shut the throttle on the straight and I lost the tow to the guys. I was alone for the final laps. I would have preferred to follow my teammates but we’ll see for tomorrow.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Positive race today. Pedro could fight until the end even though he had some struggles during the race for some missing aero parts. After a challenging Friday, today was a good comeback. Pedro showed the great level he has at the moment. Brad found his pace through the weekend - and some good performance - but when you are in the pack then a lot can go on and he found himself off the track. It’s then like a snowball effect because in these hot conditions you are following the guys and have to manage the tire temperature. We have good expectations for tomorrow and we can use the longer distance to our advantage. We hope Pedro can fight for the podium. With Brad, Enea and Pol starting further back we have to be a bit more realistic but I’m sure we can manage some good results.”
Grand Prix of Aragon photographs can be found HERE
Results Qualifying MotoGP Grand Prix of Aragon
1. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia 1:44.962
2. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati +0.089
3. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati +0.299
6. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0.593
14. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 1:45.998 (Q1)
16. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 1:46.096 (Q1)
20. Pol Espargaro (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 1:46.384 (Q1)
Results MotoGP Sprint Grand Prix of Aragon
1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati 19:37.995
2. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati +1.140
3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia +2.089
4. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +2.648
14. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +16.051
15. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +16.761
17. Pol Espargaro (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +23.160
KTM GP Academy
Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brian Uriarte was a constant pacesetter despite crashing on Friday morning. His fellow KTM GP Academy recruits also showed promising form. On Saturday, and after Q2, less than one second divided the top 16 in the quest for prime grid estate. Uriarte was best-ranked, in P6, but was followed by Alvaro Carpe in P7, Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Valentin Perrone in P9 and rookie Rico Salmela in P12 at the end of the fourth row.
In Moto2 Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Collin Veijer restarted the Grand Prix campaign in a determined mood. The Dutchman easily glided into Q2 on Friday with top ten potential and then gunned his motorcycle to the second row: P6 and a slender 0.3 gap to Pole. Rookie Jose Antonio Rueda, who celebrated his very first career Grand Prix win at MotorLand three years ago, will start the 19-lap race from P21.
Results Qualifying Moto3 Grand Prix of Aragon
1. David Almansa (ESP), KTM 1:56.347
2. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team +0.033
3. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team +0.043
6. Brian Uriarte (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.297
7. Alvaro Carpe (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.323
9. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +0.443
12. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +0.622
Results Qualifying Moto2 Grand Prix of Aragon
1. Alonso Lopez (ESP) 1:49.405
2. Izan Guevara (ESP) +0.179
3. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team +0.229
4. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Inde Aspar Team +0.284
6. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo +0.339
21. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo 1:50.430 (Q1)
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