Pedro Acosta: “Didn’t win my rookie year? I was disappointed not to win every weekend”

that’s it Pedro Acosta (Mazarrón, May 25, 2004) He’s different, it’s no secret. But you’re still shocked when he starts answering every question as if he’s known you all his life. You couldn’t be more transparent. He never refuses to answer anything and always does it with a naturalness that is sorely missed in the sports world.

The novice of MotoGP He came to the World Cup with a lot of focus on him and despite not yet achieving the long-awaited victory, he did not disappoint. But the Spaniard is as ambitious as anyone. We are talking about the most immediate future, which is nothing more and nothing less than the transfer to the official team of KTM in 2025. He is optimistic and wants to fight for the title with all he has learned in the distant easy years.

What grade do you give this debut season in MotoGP?

A six. There were good moments, bad moments and the usual. The problem is that I made a lot of mistakes and some of the important moments cost us more. That’s why the grade dropped so much.”

Many of us are betting on success in his debut year. Are you disappointed that you didn’t achieve that success?

I’m disappointed that I can’t win every weekend. Not just one. It’s hard to accept. It’s true that we’re the only one that’s consistently with Ducati within the TOP5, which it is. But it all comes together. We have the potential but putting it all together is the hardest part. The experience I gain this year will pay off sooner.

In what way did the first year of Moto2, which was also difficult, help you in this year of MotoGP?

The problem with MotoGP is that it’s like playing a different sport. It is quite similar to playing paddle tennis and tennis, both with a racket and a ball but it is completely different. It changes too much. To give you an idea, when he won Moto2 I rode that bike for a year and a half. All the same. In the first year, I had a lot of experience. Augusto is always on top and I wonder how he managed to be so fast. I didn’t understand. So it’s important to stop and assimilate the information.

It’s been a year of many falls, do you consider it a problem or part of the process?

Part of the process. Michelin tires are more complex than Dunlop tires. They are delicate in the sense that the working ranges are narrower. In Assen, I crashed on cold tires without doing anything different in the other laps. But he was not in a group and the temperature dropped. And keeping that in mind is very important. The important thing is to learn from mistakes. I think the first year of MotoGP was based on that.

What does the KTM lack to make it completely comfortable?

We are missing. We are a pack…

So what are you missing?

Definitely more explosive. The more he is in the front line the more we save, the more points he has. These are the things that in the first year of Moto2 also cost me a lot and in the second I saved it. That experience will help me next year

How much are you looking forward to Tuesday’s exams?

Too many. It’s my fourth year at the World Cup and I’ve only changed teams once. That’s not normal. If you look at the guys who debuted in MotoGP, they’ve been through a lot of teams. I’ve been wearing orange since I was 14. I still look weird in red. So I’m really looking forward to it. Becoming an official pilot is a dream that you will pursue throughout your life. Although it’s not an official team, I have the same thing as Brad and Miller, so I’m excited.

Many eyes in these tests will be on Márquez and Pecco with the official Ducati. Do you see yourself capable of fighting with them in 2025 for the title?

I don’t see them in other leagues. Marc and Pecco had a very good career and that’s why they played for the World Cup but we’re not that far, removing the many mistakes we made. So we have to start slowly on Tuesday and we will see what happens in March. I think you have to start slowly and have no expectations.

What did that jump cost the most in MotoGP? Not only in motorcycles, but also in lifestyle.

My life hasn’t changed much. But with the motorcycle I’m sure it’s electronics. In the end, we came from Moto2 with very basic motorcycles, no traction control, nothing… MotoGP is disappearing and we have to learn to prioritize.

As for life, it’s hard for me to understand who to go to. It wasn’t until I understood how to go that I made a lot of curves to get where I wanted. Now I know who to ask questions to get to the point. So that’s important. In Moto2 I worked with four people and here I work with 25. On the first day you have a lot of problems

He came with the stamp of a future star and the image of the World Cup. Did that bother you? How do you deal with that pressure?

There are many things you don’t choose in life and you have to eat them. I’m happy because I feel privileged with the things I experienced at the age of 20. We have to think that now at 18 they debuted in the World Championship and at 20 I was in MotoGP. In three years I debuted in MotoGP. I am privileged for what I have to live. If these things mean that the pressure may have taken over me at times or it may not have benefited me, but I was able to live the dream of many… I feel privileged for that.

And what do you like to do off the beaten track to disconnect?

I don’t have many hobbies if I tell you the truth because I’ve never been a guy who likes to go out with friends. I had four friends number and no more. I think going out to dinner takes a load off my mind. I have Remy Gardner, Carmelo Morales, Àlex Escrig and the person who trains me. I could go to them every day. Then I was lucky that KTM allowed me to bring my mechanic. To these friends I can’t tell about motorcycles because neither I nor they are interested, there is a big difference. If you go to dinner with friends you haven’t seen in a month, the first thing they’ll ask you is how the bikes are.

It also helps me to go for a walk in the mountains, near the beach. Being quiet helps me. The silence where I can hear my head.

Off the track, he is very outgoing and people know him for that charisma. But what’s inside the box?

What am I in the box, Mathilde? ‘Calm down,’ he replied. Yes, calm down. I don’t scream, and I don’t get too stressed. I bring people to me too much. I have a lot of pineapple, that’s true. And talk. I like to talk. But I think it’s more for stress than anything else because I don’t talk much at home.

Thank you and good luck

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