Pedro Acosta finally broke through. After crashing out of the lead in Saturday's sprint, the KTM rider bounced back to claim his maiden Grand Prix victory in Austria, in front of the home crowd. He beat Aprilia duo Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi, who finished second and third. The result extends Bezzecchi's championship lead to 12 points over Ducati's Marc Marquez, who could only manage fifth, over seven seconds adrift.
The Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring marked the final European round before the season heads to Asia and Australia. It also completed a back-to-back with the San Marino Grand Prix. Now, the entire paddock is gearing up for a long trip east, starting with Japan in early October.
Japanese Grand Prix Schedule at Motegi
The 16th round of the 2026 MotoGP season will take place at Motegi Circuit, Japan, from Friday 2 October to Sunday 4 October. Here is the full schedule in British Summer Time (BST):
- FP1: 02:45 - 03:30 BST
- Practice: 07:00 - 08:00 BST
- FP2: 02:10 - 02:40 BST
- Q1: 02:50 - 03:05 BST
- Q2: 03:15 - 03:30 BST
- Warm-up: 01:40 - 01:50 BST
For Marc Marquez, Motegi presents a golden opportunity to bounce back after a disappointing result in Austria. Meanwhile, Bezzecchi will aim to maintain momentum and extend his lead. Acosta, with his first win, certainly doesn't want to stop here. The title fight is heating up.
Rest of the 2026 MotoGP Calendar
After Japan, MotoGP moves on to Indonesia (Mandalika, 9-11 October), Australia (Phillip Island, 23-25 October), Malaysia (Sepang, 30 October - 1 November), Qatar (Lusail, 6-8 November), Portugal (Portimao, 20-22 November), and concludes at Valencia (Ricardo Tormo, 27-29 November). This run will determine who emerges as world champion.
For fans, don't miss the action at these iconic circuits. Make sure to follow the latest updates only on Sportrik.
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