The UKGP ended on a feeling of resurgence for Red Bull KTM teams as Pedro Acosta gunned his KTM RC16 to 6th position at a windy, cool and changeable Silverstone for the seventh round of 2025 MotoGP. The Spaniard collected 10 points after a determined comeback from 14th on the grid. An entertaining Moto3™ outing ended with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Jose Antonio Rueda starring in a last-to-first charge for win #5 of 2025.
The 5.9km length and 18 corners of Silverstone was complicated further for 20 long laps of the United Kingdom Grand Prix. Late spring British weather varied between heavy showers in the morning to blue skies and fluctuating temperatures. MotoGP warm-up was run on a wet track but the gusts helped to dry the course.
All four KTM RC16 riders had to opt for the best tire choice to cope with the (normally) high consumption at Silverstone. They also had to throttle hard to obtain positions on the first laps while preserving optimum grip for the full distance.
Pedro Acosta made the most progress. He surged up to the battle for 5th but then missed the necessary traction on acceleration to enter a close podium tussle. Maverick Viñales, Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini had their own adventures with varying levels of effective feedback from the rubber. Viñales persevered until the edge of the top ten, finishing 12th. Binder was 15th and he at least secured the final point. Bastianini had to complete a Long Lap penalty for an infraction at the last race in Le Mans and spent the race trying to catch-up the rest of the pack.
MotoGP heads back to Spain for the second time this season and into the weave of corners and speed that is the MotorLand Aragon circuit for the Grand Prix of Aragon in two weeks.
Pedro Acosta, 6th and 9th in the championship standings: “A good race after all but a bit exasperated because we are losing a lot of grip. When you have the pace and you cannot overtake then it’s frustrating. I did overtake a lot of people at the start, even though it was messy! We have to improve and for Aragon we will also have a test which is important.”
Maverick Viñales, 12th and 12th in the championship standings: “A lot of issues this weekend and not much luck. I had the rhythm to be fighting in the top five but starting in 18th means a lot more fighting and in only a few laps I lose six-seven seconds and that’s the race. This track is very unique and grip on corner exit is not our strength: you need it here. We need to forget this track and concentrate on Aragon now because this was not our potential here. I have faith in the bike we have – In Le Mans and Jerez we were quite fast – and we must improve the details.”
Brad Binder, 14th and 14th in the championship standings: “A tough weekend for us here in Silverstone. Qualifying was difficult, we didn’t finish the Sprint and the race today was also tough. I got a good start before the red flag and didn’t on the second start. I struggled with confidence and to know where I could push and where I couldn’t. As soon as I started to feel OK then I would have some ‘moments’. It’s hard at the moment. We need to figure things out a little bit and step-up for Aragon.”
Enea Bastianini, 17th and 15th in the championship standings: “A very complicated day for me today. I tried to do something on the bike but it was impossible for me to push. A frustrating race and I just wanted to finish. The Long Lap didn’t help to stay with the group but I also had the front device locked for the whole first lap. Nothing more to say!”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “This was a challenging week, generally, and fortunately today showed us more light at the end of the tunnel and we were more competitive. We were happy with the performance in the second half of the race and for Pedro’s progress, which was positive. It is clear that we need to improve with the new tire for Quali but also the start of the races. When the grip level is low, like it was here, then we struggled more than other races. But, we had clear information about what to improve. We have to be openminded about Aragon and the test will be good to make more laps and to go forwards.”
