Viñales and Acosta Score Sprint Points at Assen

Maverick Viñales finishes 6th and Pedro Acosta 9th in the Dutch TT Sprint, collecting key points for Red Bull KTM ahead of Sunday’s main race.

Subscribe to our Telegram channel for instant updates!

Red Bull KTM riders Maverick Viñales and Pedro Acosta secured valuable points in a closely contested MotoGP Sprint race at the historic TT Circuit Assen, as part of the tenth round of the 2025 season. Despite mixed qualifying results and challenging track conditions, both riders showed resilience to finish inside the top ten on Saturday.

Viñales Battles to Sixth After Strong Recovery

Starting from 10th on the grid, Maverick Viñales made rapid progress in the early laps, closing in on a six-rider group battling for podium positions. The Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider ultimately crossed the line in 6th, earning his third consecutive Sprint points finish and his fifth of the season.

“Quali wasn’t great, but I’m satisfied with the Sprint result,” said Viñales. “We have useful data now, especially regarding tire drop. I’m optimistic for the main race.”

Penalty Drops Acosta to Ninth

Pedro Acosta, who initially finished seventh, was handed a time penalty after failing to complete a Long Lap sanction in the final moments of the race, pushing him down to ninth. Despite the setback, the KTM Factory Racing rookie showed promising pace throughout the Sprint.

“We’re still building, but I felt good out there until the end,” said Acosta. “We’re not quite in our sweet spot yet, but we’re learning and improving.”

Binder Pushes Through the Field, Bastianini Still Finding Form

Brad Binder made a solid comeback from 16th on the grid to finish 10th, using the Sprint as a chance to work on race pace and consistency. Enea Bastianini crossed the line in 13th after struggling with cornering speed and will face a grid penalty in Sunday’s Grand Prix due to slow riding in FP3.

“It’s been a tough weekend,” Binder admitted. “I focused on building rhythm today and will try to move forward again tomorrow.”

“We made progress, but I’m still losing time in fast corners,” added Bastianini. “Hopefully we can dial in the aero setup before the main race.”

KTM Still Competitive Across Categories

In Moto3, Jose Antonio Rueda and Alvaro Carpe secured a Red Bull KTM Ajo 1-2 in qualifying, while Deniz Öncü lined up 10th in Moto2, adding to KTM’s strong presence across all classes this weekend.

As the paddock prepares for Sunday’s 26-lap Grand Prix, KTM will be aiming to convert their improving race pace into stronger overall results, especially for Viñales and Acosta, who appear increasingly competitive under race conditions.

The lights go out at 14:00 CEST, with weather expected to remain dry and breezy.