Pedro Acosta: ‘Sometimes we don't need people that go to universities...’

MotoGP rookie Pedro Acosta began his summer break by heading to the KTM headquarters in Munderfing, Austria, to meet with key engineers and managers for the RC16 project.

Acosta began the break as the leading KTM rider and having secured promotion from Tech3 to the factory team for next season.

But after two podiums from the opening three rounds, Acosta has been off the Sunday rostrum in the past six rounds, meaning he has not only slipped behind the four leading Ducatis but also the Aprilia of Maverick Vinales.

“It was good,” Acosta said of the factory visit on the eve of this weekend’s British MotoGP.  “Many things are going to change. Many things are going to take other ways.

“Maybe we take one or two races to understand [everything], but.. I see many changes and many steps. For this, happy.”

Although reluctant to give a specific example of what will change, Acosta referred to “putting some people that were important in the beginning of the project around the problems that we are having now.”

And he added: “It's tough [for me] to explain in English, but sometimes we don't need people that go to universities and understand about numbers.

“Sometimes we need more people that know how to make [things happen] practically, maybe.”

Acosta appeared to agree that, after a promising start to the season, the project had taken a wrong turn.

“Maybe when somebody has difficult moments, we need to directly stop and go one step back. Because if we continue in one way, that is not correct, we will arrive at one moment where we will want to go back.

“But we will not really know where to go back [to]... Now we are having difficult moments for this [it’s] better to stop, make one step back and remake the way.”

But the young Spaniard made clear that there is no issue with the personnel in the pit box.

“I cannot say ‘I want to do this, I want to do that’ because at the moment… I don't have a lot of experience in the class…

“But it's not about the people around [me]. I have to say, and I was saying this since the beginning of the season, I have the best people around that Pierer Mobility was able to give to me.

“I don't have anything bad to say about the people.”

Binder: ‘It's just we need performance...’

Acosta’s future team-mate Brad Binder also aims to make a fresh start after slipping down the standings to seventh by the start of the summer break.

“It's been a difficult first half of the year for sure. But now's as good a time as ever to up our game and try to get closer to the prize,” Binder said.

“There's no denying the first half was more difficult than we expected. I expected a lot more from it, but I think the important thing is to accept what's been going on and how our performances have been.

“To be honest, I think we just really haven't quite made an improvement. I think we're quite similar to how we were last year and everyone else seems to have made a bit of a step.

“So there's nothing terribly wrong. It's just we need performance.”