Pedro Acosta returned from carpal tunnel surgery to charge to fourth place at the 2026 German Grand Prix on July 13, just missing the MotoGP podium at the Sachsenring.
What happened in Germany?
Less than two weeks after surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome forced him to miss the Dutch GP, Acosta was back in the mix at Sachsenring. He ran fourth for most of the race before tire wear on the 17th lap cost him ground in the final stages. The KTM rider held on to finish just shy of the podium, managing his Michelin tires through the final 10 laps when the fronts started sliding on a cooling track.
And the warm-up lap told the story. Acosta told the crew, *“Put yesterday’s bike back on, and then I’ll try to manage it as best I can.”* He added: *“In fact, you had a great race in the GP.”*
How does Acosta see the title fight?
Acosta laughed off the idea that no one wants the championship lead. *“All joking aside, right now, Marc is the man to beat, without a doubt,”* he said. *“He’s the one who should have the number one on his fairing.”* The Ducati-bound Márquez currently leads the standings after a dominant first half.
What’s next for the 2026 season?
Acosta graded his first half at a 5.5 of 10 — a 7 for his own performances, a 4 for the arm problems and *“countless mechanical failures”* of the KTM. *“We lost points in Barcelona, Brno, and Assen precisely because of that,”* he said. The summer break is his chance to fix the gremlins.
Could the 850cc bikes go quicker than the 1000s?
Márquez reckons the smaller-engined bikes could lap Sachsenring in 1’18”. Acosta agreed the gain would come from tires and weight, not just power. *“If the tires perform well, with a lighter bike and similar power, we could lap in the 1’18” range,”* he said. *“Here, we’re already at the limit of what we can put down on the track.”*
What’s the takeaway from Sachsenring?
Acosta’s race was a tale of two halves. The first 20 laps felt almost normal; the last 10 were a fight to keep the fronts alive. *“You ride as if you were on ice, just trying not to overheat the tires and to survive until the checkered flag,”* he said. Still, fourth place kept him in the hunt before the summer break.