MotoGP legends Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Alex Criville have their say on Pedro Acosta, with Lorenzo already comparing him to the greats
Pedro Acosta is one of the big stars of the 2024 MotoGP season so far. His recent races have been more difficult because he has not quite been able to confirm the speed from the first races of the season on the KTM RC16 from Tech3-GasGas. However, his podium finishes in the Grands Prix in Austin and Portimao as well as his top 3 finishes in the sprints in Jerez, Barcelona and Mugello were particularly impressive
Acosta impressed not only with his results, but above all with the way in which he achieved these results, namely by displaying a great deal of agility and confidence in his driving style. Since the Le Mans weekend, things have not gone quite so well for the MotoGP rookie, which is certainly also due to the fact that he is only gradually getting to know the RC16 in all its facets.
However, nobody doubts that Acosta has a great future in the premier class of the motorcycle world championship. The 20-year-old Spaniard recently visited the KTM factory in Mattighofen (Austria) to make sure that he is in the right place at KTM to become a MotoGP World Champion in the future.
A documentary series entitled “Decoded: Pedro Acosta” is currently being broadcast on DAZN Spain. It features several MotoGP legends analyzing the up-and-coming star. One of them is Jorge Lorenzo, who sees in Acosta qualities that have already made names like Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez and Casey Stoner great. According to Lorenzo, Acosta is basically a perfect blend of them.
“What sets him apart from the others is the preparation, the thousands of hours he has spent on the bike since he was little, and now also on big bikes,” explains Lorenzo, adding: “At his age, the others have only done half or even a third of the training and preparation hours.”
“I would only give him one piece of advice,” says Lorenzo. “That he needs to be careful with crashes, because a serious injury could end his career. But he has something of Stoner and Valentino, namely the charisma. And he also has something from Marc, namely the ambition and belief in himself.”
Dani Pedrosa, who has a direct line to Acosta in his role as KTM test rider, also makes an appearance in the documentary series about the MotoGP rookie. He emphasizes how important Acosta is for KTM and refers to his adaptation process.
“As he climbed through the classes, he realized that the higher up he went, the more comfortable he felt on the bike. He is used to working with big bikes on tight tracks. Everyone at the factory is delighted with his performance. This is something that KTM needed,” says Pedrosa.
“Next year, with more experience, he will reach another level,” Pedrosa is sure about Acosta and adds: “During the winter tests, I gave him the advice to be careful with the tires. This bike can sometimes surprise you and put you in hospital.”
Alex Criville, who became Spain’s first world champion in the premier class in the 1999 500cc season, also has his say. He notes that Acosta’s riding style on the MotoGP bike has already changed: “He is already more relaxed at the entrance to corners, he rides straighter and looks for the apex. In the corners, he looks far ahead. That helps a lot in finding the right reference. It’s fundamental. “