Pedro Acosta “getting closer and closer” to first MotoGP win
“For sure it was coming into my mind…”
Pedro Acosta believes he is “getting closer and closer” to winning in MotoGP and breaking that duck in the Indonesian Grand Prix was “coming into my mind”.
The Tech3 rookie qualified third at Mandalika last weekend and challenged Jorge Martin for the win in Sunday’s 27-lap grand prix.
At one stage Acosta got Martin’s lead down to 0.6s, though would eventually end up 1.4s adrift in second at the chequered flag having seen the gap swell to 2.5s in the last laps.
A post-race tyre pressure investigation threatened his podium, but no penalty was handed down as a damaged wheel rim was found to have been the cause of this.
Feeling that he has been able to find consistent top five pace on the KTM lately, Acosta is convinced a first win is close now following his fourth grand prix podium of the year.
“For sure, it was coming into my mind,” he said about winning in Indonesia.
“Was super close. Maybe next time we need to think a bit more on FP2 to make more laps on the tyre because in the end of the race I arrived to one moment with many question marks and I was maybe not managing in the best way.
“Anyway, we need to be happy because today we were really strong.
“For sure, at the end I said since Thursday that this is a good track for us and for KTM.
“I’m happy because I was needing to finish a race because the last two that we make in Misano I was competitive and in both I crashed.
“I was trying to catch him but one moment arrived after lap 16, 17 that he started to pull away and I said ‘Ok, maybe today a second place is better than a crash because we needed a bit more info’.
“We need to be happy because we find this consistency inside the top five and battling with the Ducatis, which is not easy.
“For this, we need to be happy because we are getting closer and closer.”
Acosta says his strong grand prix was helped by improving his early-race pace, but notes he still has to make that gain in the sprints having finished sixth on Saturday in Indonesia.
“We know that our weakest point is the beginning of the races,” he added.
“And for this point I was trying to be a little bit more reactive in the first laps.
“For this I was trying to pass [Enea] Bastianini quite early and trying to go with Martin, because at the end of the day it’s what gives you life in MotoGP.
“We need to be happy, we were quite strong all weekend, even showing that we were able to be fast in one lap.
“Normally it’s our weakest point. We need to improve a bit more in the sprint race because the potential that we saw was not the same as the one [in the grand prix].
“We need to be a little bit faster in this condition because it’s the only thing that is missing. Now we have found consistency to be inside the top five.”
After the grand prix, Acosta praised the efforts of Tech3 and KTM for his podium and believes they are more deserving of it than he is.
“For sure the team and the factory deserve this result,” he said.
“They are working like hell to bring this bike to the top level and we are getting closer.
“Thanks to all the test team with Dani and Pol, to all the people in the factory who are doing a lot of work to bring us something new.
“And also to all the team here in the track, who are putting all their lives into this project. We are getting closer and I think they deserve even more than myself.”
