Pedro Acosta will be starting a MotoGP race from pole position for only the second time in this Sunday’s Catalan Grand Prix.
While he squandered his first opportunity at the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix, insisting at that time that he would rather crash than accept that Ducati is better than KTM, the Spaniard is far more mature now than he was two years ago.
The 21-year-old has been in fine form all weekend, topping practice on Friday before claiming pole by almost a quarter of a second on Saturday morning. He initially dropped to third in the sprint race, but came back stronger in the latter stages and followed Alex Marquez all through the final lap, missing out on victory by just a tenth of a second.
After Saturday’s half-distance race, Acosta said he could have passed his Gresini rider had he mounted an attack a lap earlier – but he was too worried about degradation on his soft rear tyre. Nevertheless, he was satisfied to finish second and return to the podium, knowing that Ducati had a clear advantage over the KTM.
Acosta already has a sprint win under his belt thanks to his success in the Thailand opener, but a grand prix victory continues to elude him as he heads deeper into his third season in the premier class.
Based on the pattern in the first quarter of the season, there wouldn’t be many many opportunities for Acosta to end that victory drought before he joins Ducati next year.
Firstly, KTM is performing exceedingly well at the low-grip Barcelona circuit, while Acosta himself is back at his very best after coming under pressure from Enea Bastianini within the KTM camp in recent races.
“I think we just match with the track,” Acosta said. “It has a really long straight and our engine is normally quite OK.
“Also the grip level helps a lot, because in tracks that we have a lot of grip, it’s not even able to fight with other brands. But here, somehow all the levels become closer.”
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images
Acosta could also pounce on what has so far proven to be a difficult weekend for Aprilia, particularly its factory squad. Jorge Martin and Marco Bezzecchi are due to start ninth and 12th respectively, after both riders crashed in qualifying. The factory Ducati team is also down to a single rider with Marc Marquez withdrawing from the race after undergoing surgery on both his foot and shoulder last weekend.
That leaves Acosta with just two main rivals on Sunday, sprint winner Alex Marquez and VR46’s Fabio di Giannantonio, although Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez and the Aprilia pair should also not be discounted.
Most riders are expected to switch to the medium rear in the grand prix, which could swing the balance in anyone’s favour. On Saturday, however, Acosta was baffled with his lack of pace in the early and middle stages after dropping to third behind Marquez and Fernandez. His late-race pace was impressive, but Acosta knows he needs the RC16 to perform consistently throughout the race to have any chance of fighting for the win.
“I’m happy with the rhythm and happy with how we managed the rear tyre, because we were quite fast at the end,” he said.
“Now we will have to work at the beginning and in the middle, because it’s a bit ridiculous that with how well we are doing at the end of the race, we can’t be a little more competitive because we lose a second in six laps. So we have to improve now.
“In the first six laps, it’s not that we suffer a lot, it’s that they have more [performance].
“So, of course, between the fact that we have little, we skate, and we have to keep the tyres, it’s a bit complicated. So maybe it’s better to take a step back, and step on the tyres.”
Riders were greeted with poor track conditions on Friday due to lower than usual temperature in Barcelona, although the situation improved considerably on Saturday in time for qualifying.
With Moto2 and Moto3 riders set to lay down Pirelli rubber on the track on Sunday morning, grip levels could yet change before the end of the weekend.
Asked about his prospects for the race, Acosta said: “Question mark. This year I will race with the same tyre as everyone. It looks like we were fast today, who knows about tomorrow.”
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