Two top ten results for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing came in the eleventh Sprint of the 2025 season and through rainy conditions at a crowded Sachsenring. Brad Binder came home in 6th place for his best Saturday classification of the year and Pedro Acosta recovered from an off-track episode to take 9th. Acosta achieved the best spot in Q2 qualification earlier in the day with the fifth fastest lap which meant a slot on the second row of the grid for the 15-lap dash and for the full Grand Prix tomorrow.
The latest MotoGP double-header began with the trip to the Sachsenring and for the German Grand Prix. The short 3.6km layout of the 13 corners of the course close to Chemnitz produces one of the slowest average speeds of the year and means a lot of turning and edge-grip emphasis.
Friday defied a changeable weather forecast for dry and warm conditions. The fastest Red Bull KTM RC16 runner was Pedro Acosta in P5 and teammate Brad Binder made Q2 direct in P10: just 0.6 of a second split the top ten. The Red Bull KTM Tech3 pitbox was only half occupied as Enea Bastianini’s illness had briefly hospitalized the Italian and put him out for the weekend. Maverick Viñales ended Friday in P11: only four hundredths of a second from Brad!
The climate did shift for Saturday and the Q1 and Q2 sessions took place in cooler temperatures and a wet track. Viñales successfully filtered through Q1 and ensured three KTM RC16s were in the 15-minute Q2. Acosta, P5, was fastest of the trio in the damp and with clear rain roost flying from the rear of the tires. Binder sat in P10 while Viñales was P12. Maverick suffered a highside crash on his out-lap and was unable to take further part. He was later diagnosed with a damaged left shoulder ligament and was cast to the sidelines for the weekend.
The Sprint was the longest of the season in terms of lap count. Acosta started better for the 15 circulations and was into the dispute for the top five but saved a crash and ran straight on at Turn 8 halfway through the race. He did well to stay on two wheels and rejoin the fray, eventually battling to 9th and the final point. Binder was solid in the mid-top ten and made his way to 6th: bagging four points.
The German Grand Prix will involve 30 laps on Sunday from 14.00 CEST and with a drier forecast.
Brad Binder, 10th in qualification, 6th in the Sprint: “Today, honestly, was quite OK.It would have been nice to be on the 2nd row but 10th place: I don’t think it changed too much. I got off to a good start and didn’t quite have the pace to go with the guys in front of me. 6th was the best I could manage but it’s been a while since I’ve had a decent Sprint. 6th was better, and I’m looking forward to seeing how we go in the dry tomorrow…I hope it will be dry!”
Pedro Acosta, 5th in qualification, 9th in the Sprint: “A slight mistake makes everything look worse than it is. We have to be happy because even with a bad start we made good passes. For how much I was struggling to put temperature in the tires – I was not riding bad. We have to take the positives: we took points and we pass to the next chapter tomorrow.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Not our best day because we missed Enea, and Maverick was injured in qualifying, so we wish them all the best and a quick recovery to the guys. On the other hand, if we think of our pace both in the dry and the wet then we have to be pleased with the progress we have made from the last races. Also, we definitely see improvements thanks to the riders’ feelings, comments and their level of comfort with our race package. We have more stability because we are not testing so many things through the weekend anymore and this helps to assist short-term performance. Q2 speed was good and this was important to ensure the starting positions for the races. The Sprint today had positives and Pedro, like in Assen, was close to the podium fight. Just one mistake cost him that chance. The top ten was good after he saved the crash. I’m really happy for Brad and with our working methods he is starting to find his confidence back. The race and the riding today will have given him a small boost.”
