Pedro Acosta secured pole position for the Moto2 race at the 2023 German Grand Prix on Saturday at the Sachsenring, posting the fastest qualifying lap. Acosta, riding for Red Bull KTM Ajo, clocked a 1:23.858 lap, the only rider to break 1:24.000 in the session, while title rivals struggled with late-session traffic, officials said.
He was the only rider in the qualifying session to break the 1:24-minute barrier, underscoring his pace advantage over the rest of the field. Tony Arbolino secured second place on the grid behind Acosta, unable to match the Spanish rider’s best lap, with other title contenders also failing to approach Acosta’s benchmark, officials confirmed.
Acosta’s pole time of 1:23.858 at the Sachsenring on June 24 marked his first Moto2 pole position of the 2023 season and his second career pole in the intermediate class, following his previous best at Le Mans in 2022, according to official timing documents and reports from ADAC Motorsport.
The qualifying format at Sachsenring followed the standard MotoGP weekend structure, with Q2 featuring the fastest riders from Q1 and direct qualifiers. The 3.671-kilometer circuit in Germany set the stage for the seventh round of the 2023 Moto2 World Championship. Sources including MotoGrandPrix and Motorionline confirmed that Acosta’s lap time was decisive in establishing the grid order for Sunday’s race.
Records show that Acosta holds the all-time Moto2 lap record at Sachsenring with a 1:23.673, demonstrating his consistent speed at the circuit across both qualifying and race conditions. This record was noted in official session documents and timing sheets provided by ADAC Motorsport. No official data or credible reports support claims of Acosta posting a 1:19 qualifying lap in Moto2; such times are characteristic of the MotoGP premier class, where riders like Marc Marquez have recorded laps in the 1:19 range during practice and sprint sessions at Sachsenring.
While late-session traffic is a common challenge in motorcycle qualifying, available reports and official sources do not document specific instances of Acosta’s main Moto2 title rivals being compromised by traffic during this session. Officials noted that Arbolino and other contenders struggled to match Acosta’s pace but did not attribute their lap times to any particular traffic issues.
The gap between Acosta and his closest competitors was evident in the timing sheets, which showed a clear spread with Acosta as the only rider under 1:24. Other riders posted times in the low 1:24s and higher, confirming Acosta’s dominance in the session. This performance came after Acosta’s recent victory at Mugello, indicating strong form heading into the German round, according to race weekend reports.
In the broader context of the Sachsenring weekend, MotoGP class riders posted significantly faster laps, with Marquez recording a 1:19.394 in 2026 Friday practice on a Ducati GP26 and a 1:19.041 sprint pole time, illustrating the distinction in lap times between MotoGP and Moto2 machinery. Moto3 qualifying times at Sachsenring also fall within a different range, typically around 1:21 to 1:25, further confirming class-specific performance benchmarks.
Acosta’s performance at Sachsenring reflects his continued progression in the Moto2 category, with official sources highlighting his pole position as a key step in the championship battle. The 2023 German Grand Prix Moto2 race is set to take place on Sunday over the intermediate class distance at the 3.671-kilometer Sachsenring circuit, with Acosta starting from the front of the grid for Red Bull KTM Ajo.
