Pedro Acosta secured his first MotoGP sprint win in a nail-biting finish at the Thailand Grand Prix, benefiting from a penalty handed to Marc Marquez. The KTM rider took the top spot after Marquez was forced to drop a position for an aggressive move that pushed Acosta off track.
Acosta and Marquez engaged in an intense battle, swapping positions multiple times throughout the 13-lap sprint. Polesitter Marco Bezzecchi’s early crash opened the door for the duo to fight for the win. Acosta’s daring overtake on Marquez at Turn 5 on the penultimate lap ultimately led to Marquez’s penalty.
Marquez, who started second, accepted the decision, saying, “In my opinion, the race direction decides, so I just follow the rules.” Acosta praised the intense racing, stating it was “super-cool to make a sprint like this versus Marc”. Raul Fernandez took third place, while Ai Ogura finished fourth. Ducati team boss Davide Tardozzi criticized the penalty, calling it “unfair” since there was no contact between the riders.
