Pedro Acosta expressed disbelief that KTM’s recent development work has caused a step‑back, leaving the Spanish rookie with a daunting gap to the top‑tier Aprilia and Ducati machines at the San Marino Grand Prix.
KTM’s Regression Harms Acosta’s Prospects
Despite taking the lead at Aragon to catch the reigning champion Marc Marquez, Acosta fell to seventh on the grid at Misano. The 22‑year‑old struggled with reduced pace during both qualifying and the 13‑lap sprint race, finishing six places behind Marquez with a loss of 6.944 seconds – an average deficit of more than half a second per lap.
After the sprint, Acosta said, “We need to review everything; we’ve taken steps backwards.” He noted that the team has not been able to improve the RC15, and that the performance decline affects “the areas that are our only strengths.”
Braking Issues Echo Across the Factory
The rider identified braking as a key weakness: “We’re struggling with the braking, which is normally our strong point.” He added that he and Gresini’s Fermin Aldeguer taxed time in battle on lap three, costing the pair positions that might have kept them closer to rivals Pareene Di Giannantonio and Jorge Martin.
Acosta considered the loss of effective braking to spread across the entire KTM squad, as “all of us on KTM are in a similar situation.” He and Aldeguer accepted that the fight was fair, but the result had “stupid” consequences for their lap times.
Points Race Tightens as Acosta Holds Fifth
With the championship tight, Acosta says the focus will be on collecting points. “I have to keep going like this, more or less,” he noted. He added that a maiden MotoGP win before the end of his KTM contract seems difficult given the “terrifying” gap to the Aprilia and Ducati, and that the bike is now “moving around a lot more” compared to last year.
Acosta admitted that the best option was a sixth‑place finish rather than risking a crash into gravel. He continues to push hard; “We’re giving it everything we’ve got and more,” he said, underscoring his determination to stay within reach of fourth place while the season unfolds.
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