Jorge Martin had to concede to Pedro Acosta at the Austrian MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday (17/8). Despite leading the opening eight laps, the Aprilia rider could not hold off Acosta's fierce charge as the KTM rider claimed his maiden premier-class victory. Martin finished second, 1.017 seconds adrift.
For Martin, the defeat stung after he had won Saturday's Sprint when Acosta made a late mistake. But in the grand prix, Acosta was flawless. "I think today Pedro was fighting for something more than just a victory after such a long wait," Martin said. "For sure congratulations to Pedro. The first win tastes amazing."
Asked where Acosta held the advantage, Martin was blunt: "In the third corner he was braking like an animal! He was making a big step there. Also corner five. Because in the rest of the track, we were quite similar but in the second sector he was incredible. It was a nice fight and good to be here with him on the podium."
Despite missing out on what would have been only his second grand prix victory of the season, Martin leaves Austria having retaken the MotoGP title lead by 12 points over Marc Marquez, who finished fifth. "I think leadership comes and goes. I don't really think about it," Martin insisted. "It's a big fight. If Pedro continues to win like this weekend with this dominance, I think he's even in the fight. So it will be an interesting Asian tour."
Acosta is now fourth in the world championship, 72 points behind Martin, heading into the opening flyaway round in Japan. With his impressive performance, Acosta could become a real threat to Martin and Marquez. "We will try to match the speed I have here. If I have this speed, I think I will fight," Martin added. "For sure there are races where I struggle and we are a bit in the back. It's part of the game. But I feel strong and I feel we can have a good level the rest of the season."
Martin's praise for Acosta shows high sportsmanship. He realizes that Acosta is no longer a rider to be underestimated. With his first win, Acosta proved he can compete at the highest level. Now, attention turns to the Asian tour, which will be a test for all three.
For Martin, the focus is on maintaining consistency. He believes his Aprilia RS-GP is competitive at various circuits. "I feel strong and we can have a good level the rest of the season," he concluded. Meanwhile, Acosta, with this victory, will try to close the points gap. The battle for the 2025 MotoGP title is heating up.
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