Pedro Acosta Sánchez (Mazarrón, 19 years old) became the Moto2 world champion in 2023, in his second year in competition, and now He is preparing his landing in the top category (MotoGP), where for him there is a lot of “cronyism”so he insists he’s not here to “make friends.”
Added to his record the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2020, and the Moto3 championship in 2021. Data that speaks for itself and that They invite comparisons with Marc Márquez, six-time MotoGP World Champion.
“I don’t think it’s a backpack that suits me, especially in the first year of Moto2. I removed the need to do it properly a year ago and I will try not to repeat it,” he said in an interview with EFE.
The Murcian pilot from Puerto de Mazarrón underwent surgery in Barcelona last week to remove a nail in the femur of his left leg and is currently in the recovery process: “We had a week off, on Thursday we started training normal and in January we are going to Austria to prepare everything for the exams in Malaysia.
In his interview with EFE, Pedro Acosta talks about MotoGP, his feelings with the motorcycle in Valencia and the short-term goals, among other issues.
Question: It’s your second world title in three years and you’re already being compared to Marc Márquez. What does this mean to you?
Answer: There is expectation, both from the media and from the fans. In the end, I don’t think it’s a backpack that suits me, especially in the first year of Moto2. I got rid of that backpack I had to do it properly a year ago and will try not to do it again.
Q: Now you come to MotoGP, what do you expect from the first season after the first test in Valencia?
A: I have no expectations, I think we are in the perfect moment and in the perfect factory to have a long race and get important results, but we have to go slowly and gradually. Motorcycles have changed a lot, you have a lot to learn before being competitive and I think we are at the right time. We have people like Pedrosa – a tester at the Austrian factory – and, with their experience, learning will be faster.
Q: What did Valencia think of that ‘box’?
A: I didn’t think too much, I didn’t want to create any expectations. I didn’t expect the bike to run so much and the management of buttons and electronics would be so important. We came from a category like Moto2 where you do 22 laps at full throttle and in MotoGP you can’t do that.
The first day helped me get a clear idea for the winter and I think we need to be happy for the test day. The bike is very good, it will be competitive and the KTM project is quite interesting.
Q: In the third year in the world championship you achieved the title of Moto2 champion, at any point did you see the title in danger?
A: I think we made mistakes at key moments of the year. I ended up crashing in Le Mans (France) at the beginning of the year and then had a 3 week break. I took advantage of the three weeks to think about what happened and that’s why I want to cut points.
We are getting closer and closer and in the end not only me, but also the team. Not every day is good, but even the team believes that we can win a World Cup… if they believe it, then how can I not believe it!
Q: Do you have any plans for next season?
A: KTM has a project that doesn’t just involve motorcycles and racing. We have been on vacation for a week, on Thursday we started training normally, in January we will go to Austria to prepare everything for the tests in Malaysia. I will take a little longer to prepare some things. I think that KTM is betting on so many types of motorcycles and, above all, on MotoGP riders, is something interesting.
Q: You said you didn’t come to make friends, but does it give you any respect to compete with figures like Pecco Bagnaia or Marc Márquez?
A: In the end I still think I don’t come to make friends and I still think there is a lot of cronyism in MotoGP. These are not the old Rossi battles with Biaggi or tense press conferences, and we should know that. There are many good and experienced people and we have to take it in stride, but we will try to keep our heads together.
Q: What would be a good result for you at the end of the 2024 season?
A: I only rode the bike for one day. We will try to be calm and take time to learn, which I think prevented me a bit from having better results in the first year in Moto2.
I’ll just take it easy and learn the basics first. When we have that we will be competitive. No matter how hard I run, if I fall 20 times, I will lose a lot of time on the track. I think that in Moto GP it will be useful for me.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
