Acosta turns sprint heartbreak into first MotoGP win in Austria

Pedro Acosta won the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring for his first victory in MotoGP, motorbike racing's top class.

The 22-year-old Spaniard took the win for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing on 20 September. Jorge Martin finished second and Marco Bezzecchi third, the pair racing as teammates for Aprilia. Marc Marquez was fifth on a Ducati BBC Sport.

It was redemption. Less than 24 hours earlier Acosta had crashed out of the lead in the sprint, a shorter Saturday race that pays separate points. He fell with three laps remaining while almost three seconds clear at the front, handing the sprint win to Martin Motorsport.com.

Martin made that gift count. The sprint victory first put him three points clear in the championship. His second place on Sunday stretched that advantage.

Martin, the 2024 MotoGP champion, now leads the standings by 12 points over Marquez. Marquez is a seven-time MotoGP champion. Bezzecchi sits third, a further 30 points behind Marquez.

For KTM, the timing mattered. The company is an Austrian manufacturer and this was its home race at the Red Bull Ring. The team said the victory was its first in MotoGP since the 2022 Indonesian Grand Prix. Team-mate Brad Binder also scored points in Saturday's sprint.

There is a twist to come. Acosta is leaving KTM at the end of the year. To deliver the team's home win in his farewell season adds an edge to the result.

What makes this stand out is the turnaround. A rider who threw away a near-certain sprint win returned to control the main Grand Prix. No panic. Just pace.

Elsewhere at the Red Bull Ring, Maximo Quiles won for the CFMOTO Gaviota Aspar Team. It was his ninth win of the season.