Epic duel
Showman on track, gentleman off. Pedro Acosta took the spotlight in the Thailand GP Sprint and not just for the wonderful duel, with no holds barred, that saw him pitted against Marc Marquez. In the end, however, the final verdict was decided by the stewards, who deemed it correct to penalize Marquez for an overly aggressive entry at the last corner on the penultimate lap, which forced the KTM rider wide. The order for Marquez to yield the position to his compatriot ‘gifted’ Acosta his first-ever MotoGP success in any race format, but Acosta himself seemed not to appreciate too much the way this victory arrived.
Read more 2026 Australian GP: Sky and TV8 schedule
“He let me pass”
“It’s truly beautiful to have a battle like this against Marc – the KTM rider commented in the heat of the moment immediately after the race to the MotoGP microphones – but I don’t really feel like a winner, because he let me pass. But anyway, we have the opportunity tomorrow as well, because the bike is working very well“. Not exactly the words one would expect from someone who has finally just achieved success in the premier class of two wheels, even if ‘only’ in a short race.
Read more Mercedes compression ratio, the compromise is official: here are the modified regulation articles
The mission is the show
But Acosta is a born showman and wants the spectacle, as he confirmed speaking more ‘coolly’ to the Sky Sport MotoGP microphones: “In this MotoGP it’s difficult to stay behind others, even more so with the heat today. Races are like this and these things are what make the sport spectacular for the fans. In the end, in MotoGP there must also be contact – Acosta added – it’s true that [Marquez] pushed me off track and I think the penalty is ‘fine’, but it’s also true that this way we put on more of a show. I had a lot of fun today”. And tomorrow let’s hope for an encore, maybe this time decided on the track.
Read more 2026 Thailand GP, starting grid: Bezzecchi beats Marc Marquez by 35 thousandths
