Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Pedro Acosta rode to 9th position in the second Sprint of 2025 around the curves of the Termas de Rio Hondo circuit in northern Argentina. The Spaniard had qualified 5th in his first dash around the layout with the KTM RC16. The next rider in the classification on Saturday was Enea Bastianini in 14th as Brad Binder was punted out of the running on the first lap.
Cooler climes for MotoGP at the second round of the season and the long switch from Asia to Argentina. The busy venue of Termas de Rio Hondo reappeared on the Grand Prix calendar after a one-year hiatus and the near-5km layout provided slick and low-grip conditions for the Practice runs on a cloudy Friday and then through the Qualification and Sprint program on Saturday.
Pedro Acosta had to deduce the best markers and trajectories of Termas for the first time. The super-talent quickly got to work with the #37 machine and was joined near the peak of the time sheets by Brad Binder, winner of the Sprint last time in Termas, who continued to dial-in the optimum base setting for the #33. Both made the direct cut to Q2 on Friday.
The Red Bull KTM Tech3 pitbox was hectic with more set-up modifications for both Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini. The Spaniard and Italian were 20th and 21st after Q1. On Saturday afternoon the Sprint gave the field the exact half race distance of the Grand Prix on Sunday. The dash for points for the first nine positions involved Acosta who reached as high as 5th but then strived for optimal traction and passed the flag in 9th. Binder had contact with another rider in the third sector of the first lap and hit the ground, thankfully unharmed. Bastianini and Viñales pushed hard to cross the line in 14th and 18th respectively.
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Pedro Acosta, 5th in qualification, 9th in the Sprint: “Difficult to understand the Sprint today. We need to work out how to put more traction and drive on the ground. We made a good start today and didn’t lose positions in the first laps. We are spinning too much but, well, we finished the race, took a point and can now look to the next one. We need to make a step.”
Brad Binder, 11th in qualification, DNF in the Sprint: “Definitely a shorter race than I would have liked. I got an average start and going into Turn 7 I made a position and then on the cutback didn’t know someone was there next to me. We had some contact and the second we touched I lost the front. Not ideal but part of the game and we’ll see what we can do tomorrow. I think we’ll be OK in the longer race.”
