Pedro Acosta ‘feeling good, very motivated’ for Austria

Absent from the MotoGP podium for the past three events, rookie Pedro Acosta heads for more favourable KTM territory in the form of the factory’s home Austrian round this weekend.

After a spectacular start to the season with back-to-back grand prix rostrums in Portimao and COTA, Acosta and KTM have been absent from the Sunday podium celebrations ever since.

The young Spaniard kept the Sprint podium count rising at Jerez and Mugello but those also dried up at Assen, Sachsenring and Silverstone.

“I'm still focused on believing that when we go to Austria, Misano, Aragon, Thailand, Japan, we will be again at the front,” Acosta said at the British Grand Prix.

Not only is the stop-go nature of the Red Bull Ring more naturally suited to the RC16’s strengths, but KTM can also count on recent private testing data.

“Both Pedro Acosta and Augusto Fernandez will be able to use all the data acquired by the test team during the tests done in Spielberg, to give their best, and perform in front of Austrian fans,” said Tech3 team manager Nicolas Goyon.

“In Silverstone, Pedro was back in his range of points, and I have no doubt that his fast learning ability and his good experience in Austria will help him fight at the top, knowing that a Pierer Mobility machine was on the podium both in the sprint and the main race last season.”

KTM's Brad Binder was runner-up to Francesco Bagnaia in both of last year’s Austrian races, when Acosta was second in the Moto2 race.

"Austria has always been a very special circuit for the Pierer Mobility family and myself,” Acosta said.

“It is a track that I like, where I achieved good results in the past, so we will see if we can continue this momentum this season.

“I am looking forward to getting out on track in front of all our Austrian fans, and to show them that we are improving, race after race, to be giving them the best show possible.

“I am feeling good, and I am very motivated."

While Acosta will join the factory KTM team next season, team-mate Augusto Fernandez is in search of a new seat due to the arrival of Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini for 2025.

Fernandez hasn’t felt fully comfortable since switching to the 2024 bike, which, coincidental or not, includes the change from a steel frame to a carbon fibre chassis.

“Augusto is still struggling, and still looking for a reference race. The hard-braking and the corners of the Red Bull Ring will be more suitable to our bike and his style, and it will for sure help him to be faster,” Goyon said.

Acosta is battling Maverick Vinales and future team-mate Brad Binder for fifth and top non-Ducati in the world championship, while Fernandez is currently 17th.