Acosta had victory in hand before his crash

Pedro Acosta had built Saturday’s clearest demonstration before losing it at the chicane. After taking the lead from Marc Marquez on the opening lap, the KTM rider stretched his advantage to 2.8 seconds. With three laps to go he entered Turn 2a too quickly, lost the front and retired after trying to continue. The result erases the points, not the performance signal: Acosta had led Friday practice, qualified third only 0.071 seconds from pole and controlled the Sprint at KTM’s home round.

He is still seeking a first MotoGP Grand Prix victory, and the full race immediately gives him another opportunity. The challenge is not finding speed but converting it over a longer distance with the medium rear and greater management demands. His Saturday pace suggests he can still fight Martin and Marquez; the fall shows how small the safety margin remains at the circuit’s hardest chicane.