Fighting 5th for defiant Acosta at Indonesian MotoGP

The fifth Indonesian Grand Prix to take place at the Mandalika International Circuit since 2022 brought MotoGP into draining tropical race conditions. The 4.3km trajectory formed from 17 fast corners and kinks was punishing for tire wear but also energy and stamina of the riders. Pedro Acosta, Enea Bastianini, Brad Binder and Maverick Viñales started the 27-lap contest from 9-14-16 and 18 on the grid.

Acosta was 10th on the first lap but made some sharp passes to invade the tussle for the top five and tried to improve his feeling through the second sector of fast, flowing curves. He overtook world champion Marc Marquez for 4th and was also busy with Fabio Di Giannantonio and Ai Ogura. Pedro had to manipulate his position to protect tire pressure but in the charge to the line was able to take P5 and 11 points.

Brad made decent progress to gain ground and hover on the fringe of the top ten with Enea for company. The pair then swapped places and flew in formation to the flag for P10 and P11 while Maverick, in his second Grand Prix run in the space of a week, was further back in P17 but gaining more feeling, strength and confidence in his left shoulder rehab.

Acosta is 5th in the world championship standings as KTM hold 3rd from 5 brands in the Constructors table.

After back-to-back GPs in Japan and Indonesia, MotoGP pauses for a week before another frantic spell. The Grand Prix of Australia at Phillip Island will occur on October 23-25 and is followed by the visit to Sepang (Malaysia) a week later and then the Qatar Grand Prix slated for the final part of a triple header.

Pedro Acosta, 5th and 5th in the championship: “I was struggling all race with the front tire pressure and I was losing massive time letting Marc past then passing him again, him going past and then struggling to pass again! Ogura caught us and I lost a lot of time with these things and it took away the possibility of being in the top four. Anyway, we made a good race. I think we took the maximum we could. First non-Aprilia and much better than yesterday. Happy.”

Enea Bastianini, 10th and 11th in the championship: “Like always, tough when you are behind [others] at the start. When the group gets a bit smaller then it is easier for me to fight back. I suffered in the slipstream of the others today; a lot of turbulence from the middle of the race until the end I was better and getting faster and I did a good job at the end but I was not happy with just the top ten today.”

Brad Binder, 11th and 13th in the championship: “Way too long and hot of a race to finish 11th! I gave everything I had and we’ve been heavy on the edge of the tire all weekend, so from eight laps in it was tricky until the end. Anyway, I enjoyed riding and I enjoyed the track. We made a step from yesterday and went faster. The bike wasn’t bad at all, I was just missing some speed. The guys did a great job and I had more feeling with the front. We’ll prepare for the next one in Australia; Phillip Island is my favorite track so I’m looking forward to see how we manage.”

Maverick Viñales, 17th and 22nd in the championship: “I was already at my limit this morning. I need to try and recover because this was a tough weekend. I tried what I could in the race and I had a good rhythm in the middle but it was very difficult. We’ll see how I feel in the coming days for the plan ahead.”

Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “With Pedro in 5th, Enea in the top ten and Brad in 11th after a tough race means we have to be happy. It was challenging as always here in Mandalika and the track temperatures were extreme. Pedro once again managed his race very well despite the tire pressures. Big respect for that. A solid weekend for Brad. We always want the best positions but he did all he could to get near the top ten today.”

Results MotoGP Grand Prix of Indonesia

1. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia 40:46.582
2. Raul Fernandez (ESP) Aprilia +4.260
3. Jorge Martin (ESP) Aprilia +6.890
5. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +9.492
10. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +21.111
11. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +21.912
17. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1:11.596

1. Jorge Martin (ESP) Aprilia, 355 points
2. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 353
3. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia, 309
5. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 258
11. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 122
13. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 104
22. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 12

Moto3 fired into motion with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Brian Uriarte starting from Pole Position for the third time in 2026 and with teammate Alvaro Carpe for close company on the front row. Red Bull KTM Tech3 duo of Rico Salmela and Valentin Perrone were P16 and P19 on the grid for the 20-lap dash. Uriarte and Carpe sped straight into the lead group as the temperatures and track heat took their toll on riders and rubber.

Uriarte had a ragged first few laps and was bustled by the dynamics of the pack as he slipped to P9. Carpe managed to stay with the leaders as Max Quiles broke away. An error trying to take 3rd place into Turn 10 put Carpe out of the running and allowed a surging Salmela to enter the podium fray as Uriarte also caught up amongst the bumping and barging. At the flag Uriarte won a duel with Matteo Bertelle to snare 3rd place for his third podium from the last four races and Salmela was 5th for the fifth time in 2026! Perrone picked up a few points for 13th.

Uriarte is now 3rd in the world championship standings while Carpe is 4th. Max Quiles was crowned champion with five rounds remaining as KTM has already sealed the 2026 Moto3 Constructors title.

Brian Uriarte: “Happy and proud because it was a really tough race today. I had some ‘saves’ in the first laps and lost the confidence completely. It was like riding on ice; so we need to see why. It was tough after that…but I was able to push back until a point where I saw it was too risky for more. P3 and I have to be happy. It’s my first visit here and I had to learn the hot conditions.”

Moto2 followed the Moto3 fray onto the baking Mandalika tarmac. The race was supposed to last for 22 laps but a first corner pile-up forced a restart and a shorter 14-lap distance. Collin Veijer had been caught up in the mess but the Red Bull KTM Ajo team were able to repair the race bike in time for the Dutchman to get back on track. Veijer, making his first appearance since breaking his left collarbone in Austria, and Jose Antonio Rueda set off from P8 and P15 on the grid and shared space in the push for the top half of the leaderboard; Rueda, in particular, increasing his pace. The teammates would finish 10th and 11th with Rueda bagging his third top ten result of the season.

1. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team 32:36.820
2. David Almansa (ESP) KTM +2.994
3. Brian Uriarte (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +5.156
5. Rico Salmela (FIN) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +10.967
13. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +25.933
18. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team +26.776

1. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 351 points
2. David Almansa (ESP) KTM, 219
3. Brian Uriarte (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 203
4. Alvaro Carpe (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 191
5. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 146
6. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 123
10. Rico Salmela (FIN) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 92

1. Izan Guevara (ESP) 21:44.433
2. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) +3.570
3. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team +4.497
10. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo +12.253
11. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo, +15.217

DNS. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team

1. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) 265.5 points
2. Izan Guevara (ESP) 260
3. Ivan Ortola (ESP) 191.5
4. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 170
5. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 166
12. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 80.5
17. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 43