- Pedro Acosta wins the first sprint of the 2026 season after a position penalty against Marc Marquez
- Marco Bezzecchi crashes out of the lead in lap two
- KTM leads the premier class championship standings for the first time in history
The first sprint of the 2026 MotoGP season at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, had everything that makes motorcycle racing special. An epic battle for the win, a dramatic crash by the favorite, and ultimately a decision by the race stewards. Pedro Acosta claimed his first career sprint victory on the KTM RC16 after the stewards led by chief steward Simon Crafar demoted World Champion Marc Marquez one position for an overly aggressive maneuver.
Bezzecchi Dominates Qualifying but Crashes in Sprint
In the run-up to the season opener, Aprilia’s strong form from winter testing had been impressively confirmed. All four RS-GPs made it through to Q2. Marco Bezzecchi secured pole position with a time of 1:28.652, underlining his role as the top favorite after setting the fastest times in every single session. World Champion Marc Marquez qualified just 0.035 seconds behind in second place, sandwiched between Bezzecchi and another Aprilia under Raul Fernandez. Pedro Acosta started from sixth, Brad Binder from eleventh. Jorge Martin, who had recovered from his injury in time, started from fifth. Francesco Bagnaia found himself only in 13th on the grid, while Fabio Quartararo was down in 16th. Fermin Aldeguer was absent from Buriram entirely.
With air temperatures of 34 degrees and light cloud cover, all riders opted for Michelin’s soft tire compound, both front and rear. And already during the formation lap, the crucial question hung in the air: Bezzecchi or Marquez?
Marquez Grabs the Lead, Bezzecchi Strikes Back
The answer came quickly and initially read: Marquez. The Ducati rider used his position on the inside of the first corner to brake past Bezzecchi into the lead. Further back, things were less smooth. Alex Marquez overshot his braking point in turn three and collided with Fabio Di Giannantonio. Both dropped far back, with Pedro Acosta the main beneficiary, finding himself in fourth place.
Bezzecchi didn’t let the lead slip away for long. Still in the first lap, the Aprilia rider attacked, and the lead changed hands several times within just a few corners. Marquez countered in the final turn, but Bezzecchi struck back in lap two at turn three to retake the lead. Then it happened. Just a few corners later, in the third sector, the Italian lost control of his Aprilia and crashed.
Bezzecchi described the incident after the race: “It was a small mistake. I touched the inner white line a little. That’s where I lost the front. I tried to save it and was almost there, but when I tried to pick up the bike with the throttle, I lost the front for good.” It was already his third crash of the Saturday. The supposedly dominant favorite admitted that the line between control and error was extremely thin: “For you, I was riding with one arm yesterday. The reality is that I was already pushing like a bastard. I could have crashed yesterday too, but in the end it happens to me today.”
Acosta vs Marquez: A Duel for the History Books
After Bezzecchi’s retirement, Marquez resumed the lead, but Pedro Acosta immediately latched onto his rear wheel. The World Champion was able to control the young Spaniard at first without pulling away significantly. In lap seven, the pressure became too much. Acosta braked past the World Champion for the first time in the final corner. Marquez countered on the straight immediately. The duel was on.
What followed was an exchange of blows over several laps that recalled the great battles in MotoGP history. In lap eight, the pattern repeated: Acosta passed in the last corner, Marquez took him back on the straight. The KTM rider remained persistent and tried again in laps ten and eleven, but was overtaken on the main straight every time. Raul Fernandez in third was able to close the gap somewhat but never got close enough to intervene.
In the penultimate lap, the situation came to a head. Acosta caught Marquez off guard at turn seven and took the lead. The World Champion countered in the final corner, but went clearly too hard. Acosta was pushed off the track, and the onboard camera showed contact between Acosta’s leg and the Ducati’s swingarm. The race stewards immediately launched an investigation.
Crafar’s Swift Decision Divides the Paddock
The stewards’ response came with remarkable speed. Just 73 seconds after the incident, Marc Marquez was informed of his position penalty. Still in the final lap, he let Acosta pass in the last corner. With that, Pedro Acosta’s first MotoGP victory was sealed, even though sprint wins officially do not count in the all-time win statistics.
Marquez was less upset about the penalty itself than about the timing of the notification. “You want to apply the rules strictly? You want lots of penalties? Then do it, but do it right. Why do they need a minute and a half to send me the message? Give it to me at the exit of turn 3. If it’s clear, give it to me by turn 3. Or it’s not clear and they look at it again after the race. I get it at turn 11.” Apart from that, he accepted the verdict: “Race control has decided and I bow to the rules. Nine points after an injury, I’m happy with that.”
Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi naturally saw things differently: “Marc didn’t touch Pedro, he still rode off the track. I think it’s unfair. Pedro would have done the same.”
The majority in the paddock, however, backed the stewards. ServusTV expert Alex Hofmann praised them explicitly: “Huge credit! I’ve criticized race control for years when they were too late, too slow, too lenient, too weak in such decisions. To make this decision against Marc Marquez in such a short time, brilliant! Top marks from Hofmann.” Sandro Cortese also called it an absolutely correct decision. Franco Morbidelli, who has had more dealings with the stewards than most in recent years, emphasized their consistency: “I respect Simon (Crafar), because he shows great consistency. We can agree or disagree, but we cannot ignore that there is consistency in the decision-making processes.”
Acosta Celebrates with Mixed Feelings
Despite the historic achievement, Pedro Acosta’s joy was not entirely unblemished. “It’s very cool to sprint like this against Marc. Maybe I don’t really feel like the winner because he let me past. But tomorrow we have every opportunity,” he commented right after the race. When asked whether he would have tried the same maneuver as Marquez if roles were reversed, he answered immediately: “Of course! That’s what makes MotoGP exciting.” Acosta emphasized that the victory was a team effort and thanked the entire KTM factory in Mattighofen.
In a later interview, he went into more detail: “I’m overjoyed that the season has started like this and that we’ve made such progress. I was still struggling a bit in the first and second sectors, but I felt comfortable with my package. KTM is working very hard to provide me with the best motorcycle now and for the rest of the year.”
For Acosta, it was the eleventh sprint podium of his career and the fifth in a row since round 19 of the 2025 season. With the victory, KTM leads the premier class championship standings for the first time in history, both in the riders’ and, thanks to Brad Binder’s sixth place, in the teams’ championship.
Team manager Aki Ajo put the significance of the result into perspective: “It’s a great feeling to start the new season after a hard winter full of work, and of course we’re very happy about the win. We always have this goal in mind, even if we might not have expected it at this track. This winter, I noticed a change in Pedro: he has become even more mature and consistently works at a high level.”
Aprilia with Highs and Lows
Behind the battle at the front, Aprilia put in a strong but mixed performance. Raul Fernandez secured an unchallenged third place. His Trackhouse teammate Ai Ogura finished fourth, overtaking Jorge Martin in the closing stages. Fernandez apparently enjoyed the spectacle ahead of him: “I managed my tires and kept the gap to Martin and Ai. Basically, I was watching the show between Marc and Pedro. It was fantastic.”
For Martin, fifth place was his best sprint result on the Aprilia and a remarkable comeback considering his injury history. However, the Spaniard faced trouble after the race: an investigation was launched over possibly too-low tire pressure. Martin explained that he had even deliberately let Ogura pass to try to solve the problem: “I know Aprilia did everything right, so maybe it was the sensor.” Ultimately, the stewards cleared him. The investigation found that a leaking rim was responsible for the pressure loss, but the minimum pressure had been maintained. It is only the second case after Pedro Acosta’s incident in Indonesia where special circumstances ended a tire pressure investigation without a penalty.
Bagnaia Disappoints, Yamaha and Honda Off the Pace
Francesco Bagnaia inherited ninth place and barely the last championship point. The Ducati factory rider made no excuses for his poor performance: “The conditions have changed a lot since the test. But that’s my problem, the bike is the same. The grip is lower than during testing. KTM and Pedro Acosta have adapted better to these new conditions. I struggle with new tires. We have a bit of a problem with braking compared to KTM and Aprilia.”
At Honda, Joan Mir took the only point for the Japanese manufacturer in seventh. Luca Marini at least finished tenth. Yamaha, on the other hand, experienced a disastrous start. The Japanese manufacturer’s best rider was Jack Miller in 15th, 13 seconds behind. Fabio Quartararo only managed 16th. Superbike World Champion Toprak Razgatlioglu, making his MotoGP debut as a rookie, crashed in the final corner three laps from the end and finished only 20th.
Not everything went smoothly within the KTM group either. The Tech3 riders Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales had massive difficulties and finished the sprint only in 17th and 19th. Bastianini admitted he couldn’t push and had problems in the slipstream. Viñales simply spoke of a bad day and a lack of speed.
The rookies all finished out of the points. Diogo Moreira was the best debutant in 13th.
What Does This Mean for Sunday’s Race?
The sprint has thoroughly shaken up the balance of power at the season opener. Marco Bezzecchi was the fastest man on track throughout the entire weekend but couldn’t bring the pace home without errors. Whether he dials up the risk again over 26 laps may be Sunday’s most compelling question. Pedro Acosta and Marc Marquez have proven they can fight on equal terms, and both will be aiming for a victory without stewards’ intervention. Marquez already hinted that he deliberately held back pace in the sprint after Bezzecchi crashed. Over the longer race, the dynamics could shift once again. Aprilia can justifiably hope for more after placing three riders in the top five, especially as Raul Fernandez sees potential on the straights. For Bagnaia and Ducati, the focus will be on solving the braking problems. And Jorge Martin has at least no additional worries to carry after the favorable outcome of the tire pressure investigation. The double distance could also bring tire wear more into focus, after all riders chose the soft compound in the sprint. Whether that’s the right choice over 26 laps remains to be seen.
The Grand Prix over the full distance of 26 laps takes place on Sunday at 9:00 AM CET.
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