Pedro Acosta secured his first MotoGP victory on Sunday at the Austrian Grand Prix, held at the Red Bull Ring, the home circuit of KTM. The 22-year-old Spanish rider overcame a Saturday sprint-race crash to outpace the world championship leader Jorge Martin in the 28-lap main event.

Starting the race from third position after qualifying, Acosta overtook polesitter Martin on the ninth lap and maintained the lead to the finish. Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi completed the podium in third place, while Ai Ogura, riding for Trackhouse, finished fourth.

Acosta, who earned the nicknames “The Shark,” has been highly anticipated as a rising star since capturing the Moto3 world title in 2021 and the Moto2 championship last year. Speaking after the race, he expressed his satisfaction with the victory, especially for KTM and its supporters. “The first one is always special,” he said. “Nice way to close a season like this with KTM in front of all Austrian fans. Super happy for them because they deserve it even more than me.” Acosta is scheduled to join the factory Ducati team in 2027 after concluding his contract with KTM at the end of this year.

Martin, the reigning 2024 MotoGP world champion, delivered a strong start despite relinquishing the lead early in the race. He initially lost the lead to teammate Bezzecchi at Turn One on lap two but quickly regained it by Turn Three. Nevertheless, Acosta’s pace proved superior as he passed Martin on lap nine and gradually extended his advantage.

Martin reflected positively on both his own performance and Acosta’s breakthrough victory. “I want to congratulate Pedro. He fought a lot during the last few years to get this victory. This feeling is amazing for him, so I’m really happy for him,” Martin said. He also noted the challenges he faced in the latter stages of the race, including struggling with tire degradation. “I was trying to manage the fuel. Then Pedro took me but I thought everything was under control. But step by step, he was stepping away. I tried to push a bit more but my rear tyre was completely destroyed. I did my best.”

In the championship standings, Martin leads with 306 points, holding a 12-point advantage over fellow Spaniard and two-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez. Bezzecchi occupies third place with 264 points as the season moves toward next month’s Japanese Grand Prix.

Marquez experienced a difficult weekend as Ducati struggled to match the speed of the Aprilia machines. Although he qualified second, the seven-time world champion slipped to fifth place after the first lap and was unable to improve his position throughout the race.