KTM ace Acosta: Praise for more space at the start, criticism of the sprint distance

It had already become apparent the day before that the former KTM rising star would not play a major role in the opening race of the German Grand Prix, as only Acosta and one other rider had narrowly made it through to Q2. No further time was gained in qualifying either. Acosta lost 0.7 seconds – starting from 10th on the grid. However, as Marco Bezzecchi was unable to race ahead of him due to injury, he started from the third row for the 15-lap race, which, according to Acosta after the race, was borderline. “I understand the format – it’s great for the spectators – but a sprint race over 15 laps on this track is a bloody long time. I think they should consider shortening the distance a bit.”

However, his criticism had nothing to do with his hand, which had only just undergone surgery. Acosta: “I was in a bit of pain, but it worked perfectly, even during the race. I’m very happy with how it went.” The Spaniard was also pleased with his first start from a ‘more spread-out’ grid. “I have to say, it worked perfectly. With a very good start, you can still catch up with the riders in the same row. At the same time, it’s far less crowded when you reach Turn 1. Instead of five riders, you might now have just two around you. That was certainly a good change for safety,” said the KTM factory rider.

As for the race itself, although the future Ducati works rider managed to overtake Yamaha’s Quartararo quickly, that was as far as his charge up the field went. Too slow to close in on the top five, too fast to be swallowed up by the midfield – that was the situation for number 37.

And in the rider’s own words: “That’s the reality we face. There are races where our natural position might be around fifth place, but then there are also rounds – and the Sachsenring is one of them – where it’s a place between 7th and 10th. None of this comes as a surprise. We know that the Ducati and Aprilia riders are fast. I soon started having problems with the front tyre during the race, and then my pace dropped. To be honest, I hadn’t expected the gap to be quite so big.”

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02.10.2026 - 01:55

The result was hardly spectacular. Pedro Acosta crossed the line just under nine seconds behind the winner, his soon-to-be team-mate Marc Márquez. Acosta, who led the championship after Round 1 in Thailand, has now slipped to seventh in the standings. Ducati factory rider Pecco Bagnaia is also closing in from behind, having further narrowed the gap by finishing seventh in the sprint.