– Silverstone was not an easy track for Pedro Acosta even before the first practice. The KTM rider knew that the characteristics of the 5.9-kilometer circuit did not particularly suit his riding style or the RC16.
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Acosta had already struggled in the UK last year and missed direct entry into Q2. In 2026, he therefore primarily aimed to limit the damage.
“We actually already knew beforehand that this track would be difficult for my riding style and also for the bike,” Acosta explains. All the more satisfied is the Spaniard with the progress made this year.
However, the start did not go entirely smoothly. Two crashes made Friday even harder for Acosta. After the second crash, it was “quite difficult” to rebuild confidence. Nevertheless, the KTM rider emphasized: “We can be satisfied because there is definitely still room for improvement.”
Despite the difficulties, Acosta managed direct entry into Q2. In qualifying, he then secured ninth place on the grid, 0.722 seconds behind polesitter Jorge Martin. This already represented a significant improvement compared to 2025.
Sprint brings tire question into focus
In the sprint, however, it became clear how difficult Silverstone still was for KTM. Acosta finished sixth, losing 10.745 seconds to winner Martin.
Above all, managing the rear tire became the decisive factor. Acosta was able to keep the soft rear tire alive better than some competitors, but the Aprilia riders clearly set the pace at the front.
For the longer Grand Prix, Acosta was still optimistic: “I have always been more of a rider for long races than for short ones,” the Spaniard emphasized. This assessment was confirmed on Sunday. Acosta started from ninth, worked his way forward in the first laps, and at times even ran in fourth place.
While the riders at the front managed their tires, Acosta also had to carefully handle traction and remaining tire life. In the end, he brought the KTM home in fifth place, 6.256 seconds behind winner Raul Fernandez.
Top-5 result better than expected
For Acosta, the result was therefore significantly more valuable than the pure placement suggests: “I am satisfied with how the weekend went and how we developed.” Above all, he rates the development across the individual sessions positively. From a weekend where KTM initially expected significant difficulties, it ended with a top-5 result.
“We have to be satisfied because it was a weekend from which we expected nothing. Getting into the top five is really something to be happy about,” the KTM rider assesses his haul on race Sunday.
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Fifth place was Acosta’s sixth top-5 result in the twelve races so far this season. In the world championship, the KTM rider is seventh with 163 points after Silverstone. Jorge Martin remains at the top, having extended his lead in the overall standings to 31 points with his second place.
Acosta poses uncomfortable questions to KTM
Behind the positive result, however, lies a much more critical tone. Acosta used the summer break to talk with KTM about the development of the season so far. By his own assessment, the first half of the season with the Austrian manufacturer was not satisfactory.
“After the end of the first half of the season, there were some uncomfortable questions that I put on the table,” the Spaniard explains. He makes it clear that it is not just about short-term results. Rather, KTM must learn to develop a race weekend more strongly across the individual sessions.
MotoGP: British Grand Prix (Silverstone) 2026
Acosta particularly criticizes a pattern that, in his view, has repeated itself too often: The team reaches a certain performance level on Friday and then practically stays there until Sunday. “We go out on track on Friday, are then at this position, and stay there until Sunday. That can’t be, not with so many smart minds in a MotoGP team,” he says.
What was crucial for him was that KTM did not take this criticism as an attack. On the contrary: The reaction within the team was quite positive, Acosta reports. The 21-year-old associates this with the hope that the working methods will change positively in the second half of the season.
World Championship third or fourth remains the goal
Despite the difficult season so far, Acosta has not given up his ambitions. After twelve of 22 Grands Prix, he still sees the possibility of moving significantly forward in the overall standings. “There is the possibility that I will finish the world championship in third or fourth place,” he is convinced.
For this, however, KTM must make more consistent progress at race weekends. At the same time, reliability must be right. This point especially concerns Acosta, who suffered several technical failures in the first half of the season.
The effects were felt not only in the world championship table but also in the development of the bike. At Silverstone, KTM had to act cautiously after the engine problems. Only after the weekend is the manufacturer allowed to open and repair the affected engines.
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Acosta himself made no secret after Silverstone that the fifth place result was important but only a first step. The gap to the front was significantly smaller than in the sprint, at just over six seconds. At the same time, the weekend shows that KTM can make progress under difficult conditions.
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