Tech3 MotoGP team “had a lot of pressure” to support Pedro Acosta’s rookie season

Tech3 MotoGP team boss Herve Poncharal admits he felt “a lot of pressure on myself” to provide “special support” to Pedro Acosta for his rookie season in 2024.

From the off in his grand prix career in 2021, Acosta marked himself out as one of the paddock’s hottest prospects.

Winning the Moto3 title in his rookie year, Acosta won races in his first Moto2 season before taking the championship in the class in 2023 ahead of his graduation to MotoGP with Tech3 and KTM.

Acosta reached the podium for the first time in just his second race and has amassed three grand prix rostrums so far while sitting sixth in the standings.

All of this has earned Acosta a move to the factory KTM squad alongside Brad Binder in 2025.

While expectations were high for Acosta’s debut year in MotoGP, Poncharal admits this brought with it a lot of pressure as he knew the Spaniard “was not going to come to be doing a rookie season like everyone expects”.

“I had a lot of pressure on myself, because I knew that young and that special rider was going to ask for special support, special treatment,” Poncharal told the MotoGP podcast.

“And he was not going to come to be doing a rookie season like everyone expects what a rookie season is - you’re here to learn and that’s it.

“Pedro wants to learn, but in 15 minutes. The rest [of the time] he wants to perform.

“So, I didn’t know if I would be at the level, and this is also an exciting thing because you are entering the unknown.

“And I like to be in the unknown; deja vu is not interesting. We had a great day in Valencia following the last race of 2023 and I was quite happy with our team, with the way we welcomed him, the way we gave him support.

“And I could see from the feedback that not only did he like the bike, he liked the class, but he was happy also to work with our crew.

“From that moment we moved to the Sepang test, everything was fantastic. There was never any cloud. The sky was always fully clear.”

Poncharal adds that Acosta has been “close to perfection for a rookie”, especially given the quality of the MotoGP field in 2024.

“I think his season is 8.5, 9. It’s very close to perfection for a rookie,” he said.

“We were talking about the Aragon weekend with two podiums and he told me ‘I want more’.

“I’m not so sure he would give himself 8.5, but I would say 8.5, 9/10.

“He’s close to the best you can do as a rookie.

“Especially at the moment the MotoGP class level is so, so high and close and competitive. To do what he is doing with the level we have in the MotoGP class is fantastic.”