Pedro Acosta finished 1.7 seconds behind Marc Marquez in second place at MotorLand Aragon, proving his KTM was a real threat to a maiden MotoGP win.
Streaking to the Front
The 22‑year‑old opened the race by leaping from sixth to third on the first lap, then unleashed a sharp pass on Aldon Bezzecchi on the back straight of lap 6.
He kept the pressure on Marquez for almost an entire lap, keeping the Ducati rider from pulling away in the middle phase of the race.
On lap 13 Marquez found a rhythm, lapping in the 1:46 bracket; Acosta then had to concede the front, and the ride‑line ended in a near‑pinnacle podium finish.
Tyre Strategy Costs
Acosta said the most he could afford was the tyre life left after battling Marquez, which “would have left us with no performance if we had stayed in touch with the 2027 teammate.”
He added, “We’ve taken everything we had; the start was easier than yesterday, and I managed to latch on to Marc.”
The factory KTM rider admitted “I used to go tight inside the corners and de‑value the tyres; now I’m learning to preserve them for the decisive moments.”
Qualifying Still a Handicap
“My one‑lap pace is still lacking,” Acosta said, noting he has only made the front row three times in the first 13 rounds, averaging a sixth‑grid start.
He highlighted that the short‑distance deficit in qualifying has kept him from gaining the crucial track advantage it would give him “in the first row.”
Nevertheless, he emphasised, “I’m concentrating on the strengths I have for winning a race, not on what I’m still missing.”
Engine Change Unlucky for Performance
KTM was allowed to unseal its engines before the Aragon race to address earlier reliability issues, supposedly permitting full power.
However, Acosta observed he “didn’t see any difference in performance” after the change, insisted there was no direct link to the podium placement.
He recalled, “The KTM has always performed well here; I scored two podiums in my first year and finished fourth when I hit a rough patch last year.”
What Comes Next?
Acosta looks ahead to circuits where the KTM believed it had an advantage last season, hoping the improvements made off the track will translate to better showings as the season moves forward.
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