Pedro Acosta : Lost a Lot of Time on the First Lap

RiderTua.com – There is no doubt that Pedro Acosta deserves to be called a rising star in MotoGP. An impression that was confirmed by the rookie from the GasGas Tech3 team in the second series of the 2023 season. In the sprint in Portugal, with P7 Acosta again entered the top 10, losing 5 seconds to winner Maverick Vinales (Aprilia).

The young talent from Mazarron, Spain, explained, “We were fast, yes. Our speed was in the range of top riders. One thing is certain, Maverick’s last lap was like coming from another planet. But we were also fast and involved in the competition. We should be happy with that, but we also know that we still need to improve some things, such as certain set-ups or the suitability of the machine. More or less 12 days on the bike, so far it’s not enough. We still need time.”

Pedro Acosta : Lost a lot of time on the first lap

Similar to the Qatar GP, the start of the Portugal sprint race was quite difficult for Pedro Acosta. He revealed that he lost a lot of time in the first lap. He must be more focused when starting. For Sunday’s main race, he will make adjustments to the clutch.

“I did something funny,” he said, what Acosta meant was the change from the clutch used in Moto2 to the clutch used in MotoGP.

Acosta added, “We still need time and in general need more time with the bike and on the race track. At the end of the practice session we still have to get us tuned to the bike. But we are in the process of getting there.”

For Acosta, clutch handling is not only a learning process but also a daily rhythm. He said it was very stressful. He started with FP2, then Q1, then Q2. Acosta didn’t have many tires especially for Q2, therefore he had to save for the sprint race. It was stressful, but he managed it pretty well. However, its grid position is better compared to Qatar. So in principle it works.

Even though Acosta was satisfied with the results of the sprint race in Portugal, ambition continued to burn within him. “I’m not happy yet. But rather than being annoyed, I feel more satisfied. In Qatar I improved throughout the weekend. I have taken big steps. We as a team must be proud of what we have achieved so far,” concluded teammate Augusto Fernandez.