Acosta Leads as MotoGP Returns to Goiania Grand Prix

MotoGP returns to Brazil at the Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia on March 20–22, with World Championship leader Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM) and local rookie Diogo Moreira under the spotlight. The 22-rider field includes Moreira, who scored points on his MotoGP debut in Thailand and arrives for LCR-Honda.

Acosta heads to Goiânia as championship leader for the first time after a controversial Tissot Sprint win and a Sunday podium in Thailand. The Goiânia layout is new to every rider: 3.835 km with 12 turns, a straight of more than one kilometer and the championship’s second-shortest circuit after the Sachsenring.

Dorna, the government of Goiás and Brasil Motorsport have signed an agreement to keep the championship at Goiânia through 2030 and oversaw upgrades to the pits, track surface, control tower, medical center, spectator areas, run-off zones and selective track widening. The venue last hosted world championship races in 1989, having staged Grands Prix from 1987–1989.

Teams say they will need to adapt quickly to the unfamiliar circuit and conditions after the Buriram opener reshuffled the pecking order. Aprilia arrived strongly with Luca Bezzecchi taking pole, setting a lap record and winning on Sunday, and Bezzecchi, Raul Fernández, Jorge Martín and Ai Ogura occupy second through fifth in the standings. Marc Márquez (Ducati Lenovo) suffered a rear-tire puncture in Buriram and sits 23 points behind Acosta; Ducati more broadly had a mixed start, with Fabio Di Giannantonio leading Ducati’s classification. With momentum carrying over from Thailand, the Brazilian round could be a chaotic follow-up to Buriram and an early test of teams’ adaptability across the grid.