The MotoGP paddock was surrounded by a tropical atmosphere and sun-drenched beaches on the island of Lombok, but the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team and its shark Pedro Acosta had to forget all that to work hard in high temperatures to maximize grip and speed on the very slippery Mandalika International Circuit, used for the fifth time as part of an Indonesian Grand Prix.
Pedro Acosta secured P4 in Friday's Practice on this fluid, complex, but dirty 17-corner track, thus ensuring another direct qualification for Saturday's Q2.
The Spanish driver's eventful Q2 was disrupted by yellow flags and a very busy track, and he could only manage the 9th fastest time.
MotoGP then laid down even more Michelin rubber on the track during the 13 laps of the Sprint, although traction, tire wear and pressure remained determining factors.
The Iberian shark immediately propelled himself into the top 5, but went off track and had to take a Long Lap Penalty, which relegated him to P6 at the end of a relatively static race outside the podium positions.
Pedro Acosta: "I've been suffering from a lot of instability since the start of the weekend and I was really trying very hard to match the times of the others in the second sector.
The motorcycle was moving around a lot and I touched the green zone three times.
I think a top-five finish was the best we could have hoped for today after a poor qualifying session. We showed good pace and were in the fight, not for the podium, but for the top spots.
We'll see tomorrow.
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: "The weekend has been difficult so far, but despite everything, before the race we saw that there was potential. And during the race as well, we saw that it was possible to achieve good positions with Pedro and Brad."
Pedro's race was disrupted by his Long Lap Penalty and he couldn't really do much better. Nevertheless, we have to be satisfied with this P6, use this as a basis for tomorrow and try to build on the best possible performance.
On Sunday , starting from 9th position on the grid, Pedro Acosta was 10th at the end of the first lap, but he made several incisive overtakes to get involved in the battle for the top 5, while trying to improve his feeling in the second sector, made up of fast and flowing corners.
He overtook World Champion Marc Márquez to take 4th place and also battled with Fabio Di Giannantonio and Ai Ogura.
Number 37 had to manage his track position to protect his tire pressure, but in the final charge towards the checkered flag, he managed to secure P5, his tenth top 5 of the 2026 season.
However, the 11 points scored in Indonesia were not enough to maintain 4th place in the championship, and Pedro Acosta drops one position in the overall standings, to the benefit ofAi Ogura.
He now occupies the 5th place in the World Championship, while KTM retains the 3rd place out of five manufacturers in the Manufacturers' standings.
After the consecutive Japanese and Indonesian Grands Prix, MotoGP will observe a week's break before another very intense period.
Pedro Acosta: "I suffered throughout the race with the front tire pressure and lost a lot of time letting Marc through, then overtaking him again, before he overtook me again and I then had to fight to overtake him yet again!"
Ogura caught up with us and I lost a lot of time with all that, which made me lose the chance to finish in the top 4.
Despite everything, we had a good race. I think we achieved the best we could.
First non-Aprilia rider and much better than yesterday.
I'm happy.
Aki Ajo, Team Manager of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing: “With Pedro 5th, Enea in the top 10 and Brad 11th after a difficult race, we have to be satisfied.
As always here in Mandalika, conditions were complicated and track temperatures were extreme.
Pedro once again managed his race very well despite the tire pressure problems.
"Great respect for that."
© KTM Images/Polarity Photo
Results of the Indonesian Grand Prix :
Ranking credit: MotoGP.com
MotoGP Indonesia Pedro Acosta MotoGP Indonesia Pedro Acosta
