Second in the Sprint in Valencia, Pedro Acosta aims to "continue his series of podium finishes"

In Valencia, Pedro Acosta secured his twelfth top-three finish of the season, in front of a crowd that has watched him grow up. The rider, who honed his skills in the Ricardo Tormo junior team, made a near-perfect start in the Sprint race.

Starting fifth on the grid, he quickly closed the gap to Álex Márquez, the eventual winner. Acosta then finished the Sprint second behind the championship runner-up. This latest performance extends his run of good results that began in Japan. We had a good race, going for a podium finish. " he said happily after arriving, speaking to the media present on site, including AUTOhebdo.

For this first race of the weekend, Acosta adopted the tire strategy of the leading group, an unusual choice for him. On Sunday, however, he will switch to medium tires for the Grand Prix. Normally, I'm the only one trying different strategies. Today, I thought, 'OK, I'll do what the guys in front of me are doing; at least I'll have the same tools.' The soft tire was the right choice for the Sprint, but not for tomorrow's race, which is too long. »

Tire degradation remains one of his major challenges this season, one that the KTM rider hopes to manage better during races. In Qatar, I struggled a lot with the tires in the Sprint races, then I simply changed tires and it was better. The bike still needs a lot of traction; it's a nightmare at the moment, but I'm still having good races despite that. I need to keep going in this direction. »

Pedro Acosta is aiming for another Grand Prix podium finish

Buoyed by this twelfth top-3 finish, Acosta is hungry for more: he's aiming for the Valencia Grand Prix again. I need to continue my run of podium finishes. " he says. Victory, however, will have to wait a little longer: the rookie acknowledges that the current limitations of his machine are hindering his ambitions. I see [the victory] in the medium term, over a year, declares number 37. The limitations we currently face are not insignificant. »

His consistency is paying off, however. Following Saturday's Sprint in Valencia, Pedro Acosta overtook two-time world champion Francesco Bagnaia in the Riders' standings and now occupies fourth place in the championship. A minor detail for him. Looking at how I started the year, I never imagined I'd finish the season like this. I'm really enjoying driving now. Acosta emphasizes. Before, I was very focused on results; now, I simply have one target at the end of the tunnel: victory. I want to get through that tunnel as quickly as possible to reach it. »

Join us Sunday at 14pm on Canal+ and on AUTOhebdo for the season finale! MotoGP…and perhaps Pedro Acosta's thirteenth top 3 finish?

Interview by Luca Bartolomeo, in Valencia.

ALSO READ > Valencia GP: Álex Márquez wins the last Sprint of the year