Red Bull KTM kicked off their tenth season of MotoGP Grand Prix racing through the demanding Thai heat with Pedro Acosta earning a brilliant runner-up result. 91,455 spectators on-site watched the opening chapter of the 22-round series where the team and brand walked away as world championship leaders for the first time.
Highlights and key moments from race day at the Chang International Circuit:
Scorching sunshine, sticky air and high temperatures created a typically draining Thai Grand Prix in the city of Buriram. 2026 marked the second year in a row that MotoGP launched at the packed Chang International Circuit, 300km north of Bangkok. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 started from qualifying slots on the second, third, sixth and seventh rows of the grid.
Pedro Acosta began the 26-lap chase from P6 and with his confidence high, less than 24 hours after he grabbed victory in the Saturday Sprint. The Spaniard had to work his way past two riders to reach 3rd place and then hunted P2 in what was an eye-catching display of overtaking and tire management. Pedro ended the weekend with 1-2 scores and 32 points to sit at the top of the standings. He now has four podiums from the last six rounds of MotoGP, stretching back to Indonesia 2025.
Brad Binder was busy in a close second group where the South African had to sustain grip and be cautious of tire pressures. Brad kept a solid pace to improve on his 2025 position in Thailand thanks to his P7. He occupies P6 in the early championship table. Enea Bastianini persevered for the race duration and used his skill in administering the best traction from the tire/set-up package to make his way from P19 on the grid to P12. Maverick Viñales had a tough first lap when he ran wide into Turn 12 but he also completed the distance and arrived back to the box with P16.
Round two will venture to Brazilian shores for the first time since 2004. The Autódromo Internacional Ayrton Senna in Goiania will be the scene for the next episode of MotoGP on March 20-22.
Pedro Acosta, 2nd and 1st in the championship: “We’re not only leading the world championship for a day! The team is working super-good. We struggled so much here last year and this time we made back-to-back podiums. We have to be happy. Thanks to all at KTM; all the people back there must have been pushing for us in the early morning. Thanks to everyone at home who has been supporting me. We made good.”
Brad Binder, 7th and 6th in the championship: “Happy on one hand but on the other I’d like more than a 7th. We’re going step-by-step and moving forwards because it was good to be in Q2 directly on Friday and both races were pretty good. We’ve made a step with consistency. Today was a lot more challenging than the Sprint. The bike clearly has the potential, so we’ll keep working and try to catch up to Pedro.”
Enea Bastianini, 12th and 13th in the championship: “A complicated race because there was a lot of movement on the straight that was hard to manage. That problem aside I think we improved a bit over Saturday but not enough. My expectations were higher for this race compared to last year and we need to change our work a bit.”
Maverick Viñales, 16th and 18th in the championship: “We tried different things during Warm-up but the result was the same as Saturday and I missed front grip. In the test I had felt better but it was getting a bit worse each day this weekend. I was very slow in mid-corner and missing the turns. It was very strange. We need to forget this weekend and work for the next one.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “A win and a podium this weekend means we have to be very happy with the work, both by the team and the riders but also the factory after a busy winter. We made an obvious improvement from 2025. This race can be difficult for a few factors and I think we approached the weekend in the right way and showed some good early potential. Of course, there is still work to do and we can see the results for all four riders were quite different but this is the first GP of a long championship. Congratulations to Pedro, it is really good to begin the season with this positive feeling.”
Results MotoGP Grand Prix of Thailand
1. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia 39:36.270
2. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +5.543
3. Raul Fernandez (ESP) Aprilia +9.259
7. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +17.363
12. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +23.386
16. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +36.545
World Championship standings MotoGP
1. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 32 points
2. Marco Bezzecchi (ITA) Aprilia, 25
3. Raul Fernandez (ESP) Aprilia, 23
6. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 13
13. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 4
18. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 0
KTM GP Academy
Moto3 provided the first showcase of entertainment at the Chang International Circuit. Alvaro Carpe (starting from P2 on the grid) and Valentin Perrone (14th fastest after Q2) were joined by rookies Brian Uriarte (the 2025 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup champ launching from P12) and Rico Salmela (13th) for the 19-lap affair. The Red Bull KTM Ajo and Red Bull KTM Tech3 RC4 race machines were competitive in the charge for podium honors.
At the finish line it was Perrone who seized the best result after a duel with Carpe for the final step of the podium. The Argentine snatched the trophy (the third of his brief world championship career so far) by nine hundredths of a second as Carpe banked 13 points for 4th and Uriarte rode strongly to enter the top seven. Salmela made the flag in P19.
Valentin Perrone: “I was pushing on the limit and riding like crazy as I started from 14th. I saw the group was pulling away and I pushed so much but the fight for the top four was so fast. I’m super-strong in overtaking and in the last corner I closed my eyes and went for it! I’m really happy and also for all the team who made an incredible job.”
The Moto2 faction of Red Bull KTM Ajo fielded Collin Veijer, and reigning Moto3 World Champion Jose Antonio Rueda as a rookie for their first snatch of action in 2026. Veijer began the 22-lap chase from 6th on the grid but the race had to be stopped and restarted twice and was reduced to a 7-lap dash. Collin crossed the line with 5th. Rueda fell on the first lap of the second restart and will have to wait until Brazil to continue his Moto2 education.
Results Moto3 Grand Prix of Thailand
1. David Almansa (ESP), KTM 32:14.186
2. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team +0.003
3. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +9.480
4. Alvaro Carpe (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +9.573
7. Brian Uriarte (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo +11.068
8. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team +11.334
19. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3 +25.898
World Championship standings Moto3
1. David Almansa (ESP) KTM, 25 points
2. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 20
3. Valentin Perrone (ARG) Red Bull KTM Tech3, 16
4. Alvaro Carpe (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 13
7. Brian Uriarte (ESP), Red Bull KTM Ajo, 9
8. Marco Morelli (ARG) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 8
19. Rico Salmela (FIN), Red Bull KTM Tech3, 0
Results Moto2 Grand Prix of Thailand
1. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) 11:11.575
2. Izan Guevara (ESP) +0.099
3. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team +0.454
5. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo +2.667
DNF. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo
DNF. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team
World Championship standings Moto2
1. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP) 25 points
2. Izan Guevara (ESP), 20
3. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 16
5. Collin Veijer (NED) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 11
22. Jose Antonio Rueda (ESP) Red Bull KTM Ajo, 0
25. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 0