Marco Bezzecchi
Pedro Acosta admits he does not “feel like a winner”, as he only took his first MotoGP career win in the Sprint at the 2026 Thailand Grand Prix after Marc Marquez’s penalty.
KTM rider Acosta led Ducati rival Marquez across the finish line by just 0.108 seconds at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram on Saturday. Marquez moved aside to let Acosta take the lead of the Sprint at the last corner on the last lap, after being told to drop one position.
Stewards panel chief Simon Crafar and his team wasted little time before telling Marquez to return the lead in the Sprint at the Thailand GP to Acosta. Marquez was found to have been overly ambitious in his pass on Acosta for the lead at the last corner on the penultimate lap.
Marquez forced Acosta to sit up and go wide after trying to force a block pass, but he made the move too late for Crafar’s liking. Acosta was able to collect his KTM RC16 in time to stay ahead of Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez, who might otherwise have inherited the victory.
Davide Tardozzi disagrees with Marc Marquez’s penalty in the Sprint at the Thailand GP
Would Pedro Acosta have made the same move for the lead?
Pedro Acosta does not ‘feel like a winner’ after Marc Marquez’s penalty decided the Buriram Sprint Race
Without his penalty, Marquez would have started his latest riders’ title defence with the first win of the 2026 MotoGP season. Instead, Acosta scored his first MotoGP win in the Sprint at the Thailand GP, during which Aprilia racer Marco Bezzecchi even crashed whilst in the lead.
READ MORE: All you need to know about the 2026 MotoGP season from calendar to riders
Yet as Marquez’s penalty decided the result, Acosta did not feel like a winner straight after the Buriram Sprint. He was a constant thorn in his fellow Spaniard’s side across the 11 laps he spent behind the Ducati rider after Bezzecchi fell, but Marquez otherwise had him beat.
“Super cool to make a Sprint like this, versus Marc,” Acosta said during his official parc ferme interview in Buriram. “It’s true that maybe I don’t feel like a winner, because he let me past.
“But anyway, we have another opportunity tomorrow. I just want to thank everybody from Mattighofen who was working super hard, also the people helping every day at home.”
Pedro Acosta was a constant problem for Marc Marquez in the Thailand Grand Prix Sprint
What are your thoughts on Marc Marquez getting a penalty for this move on Pedro Acosta?
Marquez’s penalty certainly took a bit of the shine away from Acosta scoring the first win of his MotoGP career. But the KTM rider did nothing wrong throughout the Sprint, and he kept the Ducati racer more than honest and unable to take it easy as he struggled under braking.
Bezzecchi’s crash could have gifted Marquez an easy win, but the seven-time champion ran wide throughout the race as he struggled to get his bike stopped in the heavy-braking areas. And each time Marquez had a moment, Acosta made sure to let his rival know he was there.
Many MotoGP fans disagree with Marquez’s penalty in the Buriram Sprint as while he made Acosta lift his bike up, the Ducati ace did not cause the small bit of contact between the two riders. Marquez completely missed the apex, but he did keep his Ducati GP26 on the circuit.
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