26.04.2026
MotoGP 2026 - Round 04 of 22, Circuito de Jerez-Angel Nieto, Spain – Race
Highlights and key moments from race day at Circuito de Jerez:
- 8th for Enea Bastianini after an energetic charge and several scraps in the top ten
- 10th for Pedro Acosta and 11th for Brad Binder as the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing pair log championship points in Spain. Acosta is 4th in the standings
- Alvaro Carpe takes 5th place in Moto3™ for the KTM GP Academy while Collin Veijer starts from Pole Position and then earns his first podium trophy of 2026 Moto2™
Changeable weather conditions in southern Spain finally settled on sunshine and blue skies for the 40th year of MotoGP at the Circuito de Jerez. The 4.4km course is one of the most familiar on the Grand Prix calendar thanks to its constant presence both as a world championship host and testing venue.
The Grand Prix began with Pedro Acosta, Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder starting from P6, P8 and P13 on the grid respectively. Bastianini’s Red Bull KTM Tech3 teammate Maverick Viñales hopes to return to the track in the wake of recent left shoulder surgery in time for round five.
During the opening phases, Bastianini rapidly gained time and places to close the gap to Acosta in the mid-top ten. The Italian then enjoyed some back-and-forth action with at least two other riders before he slipped into a gap just outside the top seven. Pedro suffered contact into Turn 2 that caused some damage to his aerodynamics and affected his stability in braking and ability to control wheelie. He could set a pace that stabilized his slot in 10th and was chased by Binder, who circulated on the edge of the first ten positions and made sure of 11th at the flag.
After the one-day IRTA test on Monday in Jerez, the historic Le Mans circuit will host the popular Grand Prix of France in two weeks.
Enea Bastianini, 8th and 10th in the championship: “A solid weekend. We were competitive in the cold, the heat and even the wind of the race today. My expectations were a bit higher – top five – but after five laps I felt a big drop from the front tire and it was impossible to push on the front from that moment. I kept consistent and tried to manage it until the end of the race. From Austin we have made progress with the extra grip and the standard tire. We made a step there and also this weekend. I want to continue like this because we are making a good job.”
Pedro Acosta, 10th and 4th in the championship: “We knew we didn’t have the speed this weekend. Without the contact it might have been easy to be in the top eight like Enea. It was difficult to understand how to control the front and when I would have wheelie. We have some work to do and we’ll think ahead to the test tomorrow now. I’m quite happy to finish the weekend.”
Brad Binder, 11th and 11th in the championship: “It was a long race. I got a decent enough start but then missed some speed and the front pushed when I leant in [to corners]. To control it I had to brake earlier. When the tire performance dropped then I could get in easier but it was really tricky and very hard to be clean. A more difficult race than I anticipated and we need this test tomorrow to figure out some changes to hit the point.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “A really challenging weekend here in Jerez. Normally we always hope for stable conditions at a GP and today we finally had it…but the results were not what we were expecting and not where we should be. The weather probably helped us on Saturday but the reality is that we struggled to keep the good pace today. To have 8-10-11 positions for the riders means we can say we survived but we have to analyze why our performance is not at the level of the last races. A positive point is that we have some time to look at our data for tomorrow and we have to use our testing hours wisely here in Jerez.”
Grand Prix of Spain photographs can be found HERE
Results MotoGP Grand Prix of Spain
1. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati 40:48.861
2. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia +1.903
3. Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA) Ducati +5.796
8. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +14.411
10. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +22.431
11. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +22.799
World Championship standings MotoGP
1. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia, 101 points
2. Jorge Martin (ESP) Aprilia, 90
3. Fabio Di Giannantonio (ITA) Ducati, 71
4. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 66
10. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 30
11. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 28
22. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 0
KTM GP Academy
Moto3 produced a typically tight affair and the KTM RC4 was a protagonist for podium positions. Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Alvaro Carpe launched from the front row of the grid and with eyes on silverware at his home Grand Prix. The Spaniard battled with Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Valentin Perrone but the duo were soon sucked in by the second group – including rookie Brian Uriarte - and the chase for P5.
19-laps wound down to a tense conclusion, and it was Carpe who locked in 5th to add to his consistent tally and sits 2nd in the championship standings. Perrone made the line in 7th (his fourth top ten of the year) with Uriarte in 11th while Rico Salmela acquired the final point in 15th.
Moto2 fired away from the grid for 21 laps with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Collin Veijer at the front of the field courtesy of the young Dutchman’s first Pole Position in the category. Veijer had been haunting the top of the sessions through the weekend and extended his competitiveness into the race. He led the first half of the duration and then continued his pace, despite some arm-pump, to make sure of 3rd and his maiden podium appearance of 2026. Teammate Jose Antonio Rueda crossed the line in 20th.
Collin Veijer: “I could lead the first part of the race and felt really good but then arm-pump started a little bit…so I chose to move behind the others and follow their pace because I knew it was quite similar after our analysis of yesterday. In the last laps I struggled with my arm a lot, and couldn’t really brake anymore, so this is a thing [to learn] for next time. I’m very happy with the podium, and the first one of the year. Thanks to everyone who keeps believing in me. Let’s keep the flow.”
Jerez opened the 7-round 2026 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. The successful filter series to the world championship runs KTM RC 250 R machinery and youngsters from a diverse spread of countries. On Saturday Beñat Fernandez was the first winner of the season. On Sunday morning Indonesia’s Kiandra Ramadhipa emerged victorious from a group of seven riders divided by 0.3 of a second. The rest of the season will run at MotoGP Grands Prix in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, San Marino and Austria.
Results Moto3 Grand Prix of Spain
1. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team 33:23.556
2. Adrian Fernandez (ESP), Honda +1.991
3. David Muñoz (ESP), KTM +2.009
4. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team ++2.049
5. Alvaro Carpe (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +9.926
7. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +11.526
11. Brian Uriarte (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +11.758
15. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +21.818
World Championship standings Moto3
1. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 90 points
2. Alvaro Carpe (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 53
3. Adrian Fernandez (ESP), Honda, 49
4. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 47
5. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 45
9. Brian Uriarte (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 28
11. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 21
Results Moto2 Grand Prix of Spain
1. Senna Agius (AUS), 35:17.948
2. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP), +0.885
3. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo +1.107
4. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team +2.032
11. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team +12.934
20. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +29.672
World Championship standings Moto2
1. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP), 59.5 points
2. Senna Agius (AUS), 50
3. Izan Guevara (ESP), 45
5. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 38
6. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 37
9. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 29.5
21. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 1
PRESS CONTACT
Evangelia Sissis
PR Manager MotoGP
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E: evangelia.sissis@ktm.com