Top ten for Binder at San Marino MotoGP

The high grip potential of Misano created fresh set-up demands for the Red Bull KTM quartet through Friday and Saturday and led to qualifying positions of P9 for Pedro Acosta, P16 for Brad Binder, P17 for Maverick Viñales and P20 for Enea Bastianini. Acosta secured a top five result in the Saturday Sprint as Bastianini sliced through half of the field to finish 10th at his home Grand Prix.

There was renewed belief for the 27 laps on Sunday and the harder tire options necessary for the full race distance. Overnight rainfall meant the track was initially cooler and with damp patches in the morning but the conditions were warm and consistent by mid-afternoon. Acosta made an effective getaway from the grid but Pedro’s bid for podium contention expired on lap eight with a technical issue while Maverick fell in the second sector on lap five. Enea’s search for a top nine result ended at Turn 14 at mid-distance. Binder gassed his way past rivals and dealt with a lack of optimal traction to grab 10th.

Acosta is 5th in the MotoGP standings. Binder holds 11th followed by Bastianini in 13th and Viñales in 15th. MotoGP now has a one-day IRTA test at Misano on Monday and then commences a Pan-Asia trek with races in Japan, Indonesia, Australia and Malaysia in the next five weeks. First-up is the trip to the Mobility Resort Motegi from September 26-28.

Brad Binder, 10th and 11th in the championship standings: “A really difficult race. It was hard to push-on from the beginning and there was a big difference between front and rear grip. Then there was a lot of chatter from 12 laps onwards and it was hard to stay up. Really tricky, and we didn’t expect that. In the end we could put together the weekend that we planned. It’s a good thing that we have a test here tomorrow so we can play around a little bit to understand the right way to go for the future.”

Pedro Acosta, DNF and 5th in the championship standings:“A mechanical sport and things can happen. It was a tough weekend but it looked like we were turning it around. The race was going well and we might not have reached the podium but we might have been close. We had the pace, and things were going well with the medium tire. I had the speed for 4th position and it’s important that we have consistency for the top five.”

Enea Bastianini, DNF and 13th in the championship standings: “A good start and I tried to do my pace but Turn 13 was always a bit hard for me. I was always in a different point for braking to Turn 14. I went a bit wide, had some chatter and I crashed. A complicated GP and the crash in qualifying meant starting from 20th was not easy! I was conscious of sector three but when I tried to give my best I lost it.”

Maverick Viñales, DNF and 15th in the championship standings: “I cut the curb too much and with too much angle and I wasn’t able to save the crash. A pity but it’s another weekend, another GP of work and each one gets me closer to where I want to be. The bike was working good, and I think we had potential to be quite high in the race. We’ll try and stick to this feeling. We will test tomorrow and it’s a good thing for me, I have nothing to lose, and then we’ll see how it feels next week and going to Japan.”

Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Definitely not our day in Misano and the weekend generally has been challenging after many positive GPs in a row. We had expectations for today but luck was not on our side. Pedro had to stop after a brilliant start and passing many riders, so, really sorry to him. Unfortunately, also Enea and Maverick crashed out after fighting in the group but, finally for Brad a solid race in the top ten. In the end, not the results we were counting-on in Misano. Now we’ll test, look for more progress and prepare for some different races overseas.”

1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati 41:20898

2. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia +0.568

3. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati +7.734

1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 512 points

2. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 330

3. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati, 237

Moto3 throttled into life for 20 laps of close-calls, tows and constant position-swapping. Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Valentin Perrone and Jacob Roulstone helped form a leading group of seven riders after their front row starts from Pole Position and P3 respectively. Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jose Antonio Rueda swiftly joined them. The race developed and Roulstone and Alvaro Carpe slipped back into the second pack as Rueda and Perrone were part of the breakaway sextet going for trophies; Rueda leading laps. An electrifying final circulation saw Perrone drop back to P6 (still less than a second from P1) through the last sequence of curves while Rueda made a sensational move into Turn 16 and flew to the flag to win for the eighth time in 2025 by 0.113. Carpe came home in P10 and Roulstone in P11.

Rueda’s championship-leading margin has edged up to 78 points (more than three rounds with only six remaining) and Red Bull KTM Ajo have a dwarfing 128 advantage in the Teams contest. KTM have already been crowned as Constructors champions for 2025.

Jose Antonio Rueda: “I knew we had some pace, and I pushed every lap to try and break the group as much as possible. Moto3 is like this: too many riders at the front and too many overtakes! This race [result] is for everybody who supports me and believed in me since the beginning, also for the team who always make a really good job. This is one my most special and best victories.”

Moto2 ran for 22 laps. Daniel Muñoz appeared in Red Bull KTM Ajo colors for the fifth time in 2025 and only days after he grasped a maiden podium in Catalunya. The young Spaniard started from 17th on the grid and Collin Veijer was 20th. Muñoz was able to guard his tire life and near the battle for the final top ten placing. He grabbed P12 at the finish. Veijer ran off the track in the formative laps of the race and made it home in P21.

The fourteenth and last race of the 2025 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup was won by Spaniard David Gonzalez by just five hundredths of a second from newly crowned series winner Brian Uriarte; the youngster had bagged the gold plate on Saturday afternoon thanks to seven victories (nine top three results) during the campaign. Veda Pratama confirmed status as runner-up for the season with a 4th place finish.

2. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team +0.113

3. Adrian Fernandez (ESP), Honda +0.117

13. Dennis Foggia (ITA) CFMOTO Aspar Team +14.820

2. Angel Piqueras (ESP), KTM, 217

3. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 188

12. Dennis Foggia (ITA) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 84

1. Celestino Vietti (ITA) 35:03.863

2. Barry Baltus (BEL) +0.747

3. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team +3.911

8. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team +10.446

1. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP), 227 points

2. Diogo Moreira (BRA), 188

3. Aron Canet (ESP), 188

7. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 128

12. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 84