Pedro Acosta critical of MotoGP rule which denied Maverick Vinales

Pedro Acosta has criticised the tyre pressure rule which cost Maverick Vinales at the Qatar MotoGP.

Vinales thought he had completed a sensational and unexpected P2 at the Lusail circuit in Sunday’s grand prix.

But the feelgood moment was taken away two hours after the conclusion of the race, when he was hit with a time penalty for failing to reach the specified minimum pressure for at least 60% of the race laps.

A 16-second time penalty relegated Vinales to 14th.

He became the third MotoGP rider to lose a podium finish due to the tyre pressure rule.

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It has been criticised for killing the possibility of shock results, like Vinales surging from sixth on the grid and briefly beyond Marc Marquez.

Tech3 KTM left Qatar with a “bitter taste” after a rare moment of optimism for the manufacturer this season vanished.

Marquez even admitted that when Vinales passed him, he briefly thought it was Acosta who is so often the fastest KTM.

Factory KTM rider Acosta was eighth in Qatar on Sunday before criticising the rule which ended Vinales’ dream day.

Acosta also remembered Marquez tackle the tyre pressure rule in Thailand by intentionally dropping back one place, before regaining the lead.

Pedro Acosta critical of MotoGP tyre pressure rule

“I don't think it's fair that a podium position like Maverick's ends up looking like the kid had cheated,” Acosta told AS.

“I've ridden behind people and had the same problem. And Maverick, okay, maybe he had more because he also rode alone.

“It's like Marquez in Thailand. Who would have expected that there, with the heat, he'd have pressure problems? Nobody.

“So this rule is a bit tricky, because you're not a fortune teller to know what the temperature will be during the race, and whether the tyres will fall off or not, or if there's going to be a crosswind.

“They'd have to look at this rule and say that if the pressure was right from the start, you can't be leading a race and have to cut in to get behind someone. Okay, Marc, because he's got plenty of space!

“Imagine the situation where Maverick had won the race and that victory is taken away from you after being the fastest.”

The difficulty for MotoGP teams is that must effectively predict the pre-race pressures, but circumstances can then change.

Weather, or a shock result like Vinales thought he’d pulled off, can render a pre-race estimate useless and cause a rider to fall foul of the rule.

“We also have to take into account that the front of the bike gets very hot, because of the discs,” Acosta said.

“You get close to our bike after the race and you can't touch it...

“It's delicate, and I understand that. But for a person to have a podium taken away from him…

“Going back to Marc in Thailand: having Marc's victory taken away for not going backwards would have meant taking the victory away from the fastest.

“If he had the pressure right from the start, what was Maverick supposed to do? Like Marc and let people pass?

“It's a bit complicated to understand too.”

KTM have endured a rough time this year, ever since their financial woes were laid bare.

Pit Beirer has insisted that the money trouble and their MotoGP bikes’ performances are not related.

But chatter is among the issues facing KTM’s riders, including Acosta.

The brand is also dealing with rumours about star man Acosta’s future, amid links to Honda and Ducati.

So Vinales’ podium represented a major step forward for KTM on Sunday - until it was abruptly taken away.