Pedro Acosta raises “question mark” about Ducati in Barcelona
"We know the protocol of Ducati. On Friday they suffer a bit, then on Saturday…"
Pedro Acosta offered a typically cheeky response to a question about his confidence in Barcelona.
Acosta was asked if a productive Friday practice at the Catalunya MotoGP has rebuilt his broken confidence after he crashed out in Le Mans.
But he sharply responded: “Who said to you that I lost confidence? Your opinion? I have another. Everything is fine.”
On Friday in Barcelona, Acosta was third-fastest overall behind Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro and KTM’s Brad Binder.
Ducati riders were left complaining about a lack of grip which did not seemingly affect the KTMs or Aprilias are harshly.
Acosta was asked if he noticed any problems with his Ducati rivals during practice.
He smiled: “I didn’t follow a Ducati in the whole day…
“Last year, Pecco was ready to win if he did not crash, to be honest.
“We need to wait until tomorrow. We know the protocol of Ducati. On Friday they suffer a bit, then on Saturday…
“There is a question mark about how Ducati will be tomorrow.”
Tech3 GASGAS rider Acosta laid down a marker for his Barcelona weekend: “From Le Mans, we were ready to win. Even when we crashed.
“Today, I say that we are improving with the base that we had before.
“It is a constant snowball. We are experienced and we are improving. We are on the way.”
He described the challenges with the track: “Barcelona is not the grippiest track.
“It is difficult to understand how the tyres will drop. If you are riding and you never stop, it works well.
“But if you stop in the box for eight minutes…
“It is unpredictable, the feeling after stopping in the box, with the same tyres.”
His teammate Augusto Fernandez endured difficulties with his stability, but Acosta explained why there are few similarities between their bikes.
“On our side we improved the stability,” Acosta said.
“We made a big step in this area.
“Our bikes are completely different because he is tall and heavy compared to me.
“The way he has his foot pegs and handlebars is different.”
Acosta enters the Catalunya MotoGP, the sixth round of 2024, sixth in the standings.
His incredible displays in the earliest rounds of his rookie season have resulted in predictions that he will soon win a grand prix.
Acosta could be promoted into KTM’s factory team as his exciting rise continues.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
