Spaniard Pedro “Tiburón” Acosta claimed his fifth win of the season at the San Marino Moto2 Grand Prix, taking the checkered flag on Misano’s demanding layout and widening his lead in the world championship. The race unfolded with intensity as the race pace surged and the title fight intensified behind him.
From the drop of the green flag, the Italian Celestino Vietti, riding a Kalex, and Acosta showed immediate pace, with the field chasing a front group that would define the early stages. The opening laps saw Acosta assume control with precision, while Vietti and Aron Canet—also aboard Kalex—pushed hard to keep him in sight and to prevent any slip that might swing the balance of the race in favor of their rivals.
Alongside Acosta, Vietti and Canet joined the podium in San Marino as Alonso López (Boscoscuro) earned third after Arón Canet crashed on lap eight, altering the wheel of the podium battle and reshaping the race dynamics.
Lopez had not stood on the podium since the Le Mans round, and his return to the rostrum in Misano signaled a strong comeback for the Spaniard, who also had a chance to climb further in the standings with a solid showing on home soil.
The “Shark” from Puerto de Mazarrón now held the lead in the championship standings, with Acosta on 211 points to Arbolino’s 177. The Spaniard arrived at the Indian round with a 34-point cushion after a 22-point buffer the prior week, signaling a decisive swing in the title race and keeping his rivals on their heels for the next rounds.
Spanish rider Albert Arenas, also aboard Kalex, withdrew due to an injury sustained in practice. He was declared unfit after a fall at the Buddh circuit and dislocated his left shoulder, prompting a swift recovery plan as the grid prepared for the next round in India in two weeks’ time.
Acosta had an excellent start, beating pole-sitter Vietti and his fellow Spaniard Manuel González, who briefly held a strong line into the late stretch before Acosta asserted his position and took control of the race dynamics with a determined move.
The first round was a test of nerves and speed as González found pressure from Canet, López, and Czech rider Filip Salac, while Arbolino, the championship leader’s closest rival at the time, climbed from ninth to eighth in the early running as the pace quickened.
Once the lights timed out, the pace rose quickly and Acosta and Vietti began to push, with Canet sticking close as the main trio formed a tense battle group. Arroyo-like exchanges saw the group stretching the pace, while Arbolino sought to close the gap from behind, mirroring the chase pack’s rapid surge.
The race tempo stayed blistering, as Acosta set the fastest laps and the trio at the front began to stretch the field in the third lap, with lap times tightening around the 1:36 mark in a display that approached the absolute standard set by the series in recent seasons.
Arbolino pressed on as the pace shifted; after passing Salac, he moved up to sixth and pursued the leaders with a firm intent to threaten. The battle for the top positions intensified as the front trio extended their advantage over the second group, which included López, González, Arbolino, Salac, and Lowes, creating a high-stakes sub-narrative about who could mount a late challenge.
From mid-race onward, debutante Sergio García Dols started twenty-second and climbed to fourteenth by lap eight, marking a steady ascent even as Canet crashed from third, abruptly altering the race’s complexion. The incident opened the door for López and others to maneuver through the field in search of valuable points.
Out on track, British rider Jake Dixon and Canet endured a tough day, with Dixon drifting away from the pace and unable to regain the momentum he sought. The front-runners continued to press, while technical demands of the Misano circuit tested tires and strategy alike.
The evolution of the race saw Acosta and Vietti exchange fast laps, with a renewed push on lap nine delivering a new best time that briefly eclipsed the established benchmark. The Spaniard posted a 1:36.173, signaling a critical surge in performance as Vietti remained a close barrier behind him and Canet pursued a potential podium return.
Arbolino received a scare that nearly toppled his challenge, a reminder that the championship fight held little room for error as the field navigated the closing stages of the race. Vietti also endured a momentary setback, but the battle crystallized around Acosta’s relentless tempo and his ability to convert that pace into solid distance over the chasing pack.
As the laps wore on, the podium picture settled with Acosta maintaining his lead, Vietti slotting into second, and López claiming a valuable third place. The balance of performance near the tire wear limit produced a handful of tires-related issues for some competitors, while others managed to stay on a consistent pace to secure finishing positions and critical championship points.
In the closing stages, riders from Asia and Europe—Ai Ogura, Somkiat Chantra, García Dols, and others—found themselves fending off rivals while trying to maximize the result in a race that had already declared its winner. Ramirez, Alcoba, and Borja Gómez finished outside the top ten as the field consolidated behind Acosta’s dominant performance, with the final standings reinforcing the championship narrative and the tactical decisions that defined the day at Misano.
In the end, Acosta’s victory was emphatic, cementing his status as a title favorite and signaling a continued challenge for the overall crown. The result echoed the volatility and competitiveness of the Moto2 class, where every session and every lap can shape the championship’s direction and redefine the prospects for a rider’s season as the series heads toward the next round on Indian soil.