RiderTua.com – Pedro Acosta’s debut in MotoGP was truly interesting. The rookie from the GasGas Tech3 team immediately advanced to Q2 with 6th position after the practice schedule was changed due to rain, then 8th position in qualifying. The sprint race saw him climb from outside the top 10 to 8th, before making an attack in the full-length race. Occupying 10th position after the opening lap, Acosta immediately overtook Aleix Espargaro and Fabio di Giannantonio, then Alex and Marc Marquez.
Acosta’s confidence was evident when he spectacularly performed a sliding maneuver with the front and rear of his RC16, although this affected his tire wear and he subsequently slipped to 8th place.
The second series in Portimao will be a very different challenge, especially as (unlike Qatar) there is no testing before the race weekend. But the roller coaster-like Algarve circuit is a circuit Acosta likes, with wins in Moto2 last season as well as racing in Moto3 in 2021 as a rookie.
GASGAS Tech3 Team Manager Curious to See Acosta Express Himself in Portimao
Pedro Acosta said that the Portimao track is a circuit he likes and they have a very good feeling after Qatar. Acosta’s main target is to continue adapting to the KTM RC16 in MotoGP and try to continue the dynamics of the Qatar round. This means having a good Friday and Saturday session to sprint and race with the best position on the grid. He can’t wait to ride a MotoGP bike at the next circuit..
Tech3 team manager Nicolas Goyon is excited to see what Pedro Acosta can do after his incredible debut. “A week ago, we left Qatar after a wonderful opening series as we saw our rookie Pedro Acosta shine all weekend. He qualified for Q2 after practice, scored his first points in the Tissot Sprint and ended the weekend with a top-10 result in the main race, which hasn’t happened to a rookie since 2021,” he said. At Red Bull GASGAS Tech3, they can’t wait to see a talent like Acosta express himself on unfamiliar circuits like the Portuguese GP, where he won last season in the Moto2 class.
Meanwhile, Acosta’s teammate Augusto Fernandez only finished 17th in Qatar but Goyon believes he is making progress with the latest RC16, which features a carbon fiber chassis. Augusto Fernandez is already feeling more comfortable with his riding, and the Qatar GP was where he felt his best since the start of the year. The team knows that he will go into this first European series with positive things from Qatar, so that he can return to his rightful position, concluded Goyon.
