MotoGP Hungary Day 3, Debriefing Pedro Acosta (KTM/2): "There was some contact, but always within the limits of the regulations," etc. (Full report)

The press conference following the Hungarian Grand Prix MotoGP the Balaton Park circuit hosted Marc Marquez (Ducati Lenovo Team), Peter Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Francis Bagnaia (Ducati Lenovo Team).

Exhausted and very frustrated by this umpteenth second place, he got off his KTM after believing he had secured his first MotoGP victory. Peter Acosta quickly rediscovered the positive side of his very good fight with Marc Marquez… MotoGP Hungary Marquez

As usualWe reproduce his words here in their entirety without any formatting, even though they are translated from English. MotoGP Hungary Marc Marquez

(I.e. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this Sunday's post-race press conference, following a particularly spectacular and exciting Hungarian Grand Prix, here at the Balaton Park circuit.
Your winner, returning to the top step of the podium for the first time since Misano last September, is of course the reigning World Champion and Ducati Lenovo Team rider, Marc Márquez. This is Marc's 74th MotoGP victory, and his 100th across all categories since the start of his career in 2010 at Mugello.
Second place went to Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider, who secured another double podium finish this weekend in Hungary. What a battle between Marc and Pedro in this Grand Prix!
And third, for the third consecutive race, Francesco Bagnaia, rider for the Ducati Lenovo Team.
Gentlemen, congratulations to all three of you!

(I.e. There was only one rider this weekend capable of challenging Marc, both in the Sprint and the Grand Prix: Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Pedro Acosta. Pedro, as we just said, you're a fighter, a warrior. You did everything you could to push Marc to the checkered flag. Two second-place finishes. What are your thoughts on your weekend here at Balaton?
Pedro Acosta: "I'm quite happy. It was a good weekend overall."
As Marc said, we had two different strategies. It didn't work out as I'd hoped, but I still think it was the right choice. I tried the medium tire on Friday and Saturday, and it wasn't really working. So I was left with only the option of the soft.
I think we followed the plan, because it's the first time in MotoGP that I've been able to create a gap, even a small one, at the start of the race.
It's true that from the middle of the race onwards, I started to lose some ground, with a lot of movement of the motorcycle and more difficulties.
But the battle was great fun for the fans. I think everyone enjoyed it, and me too on the bike. It's all about trying.

🎤 You gave it your all, exactly as we expected from you, Pedro. Tell us about that battle. Marc said it was intense, but tough and fair. Did you enjoy it as well?
“Yes, it’s always very enjoyable to fight a champion. It’s never easy trying to overtake a guy with Marc’s speed. I enjoyed it. I think this is already the third time I’ve lost to him. Or maybe the second.”
"In any case, if I continue to compete with Marc, it means we've made progress over the last few seasons. I'm quite happy about that."

“Super nice always to battle with the Champ”🎙️ – @37_pedroacosta

The Shark is happy with the improvements but really wants the win 👊#HungarianGP (I.e. pic.twitter.com/JEg5NuPDt9

- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) June 7, 2026

🎤 You're getting closer. I know everyone's always talking about that first victory, but you must feel it yourself. You won't have to wait much longer, hopefully…
"As I said, it's a matter of trying. In the end, last year I struggled a lot in qualifying. Now I'm coming back with much more consistency, because at this time of year last year I was crashing a lot."
For this reason, I think it will happen soon. As I said, it's a matter of trying and continuing to believe.

🎤 Pedro, do you think that after this result and the way you overtook Marc and battled with him, KTM has progressed, or is it simply your riding style that allows you to go to these limits?
"Well, it's clear that I feel much better on the bike than last year. Last year, if I tried to do these kinds of things, I crashed 80% of the time."
So, it's true that the bike has improved, but it's quite difficult to understand why we suffered so much a week ago and why, here, we were fast from Friday onwards.
That's why we need to understand, because otherwise it's quite difficult to continue making progress.

🎤 Pedro, that was a fantastic battle with Marc. You knew he was coming back at you, but you also knew he was strong on left-hand corners and weaker on right-hand corners. Did you keep that in mind when you were trying to defend and then overtake him? Were you trying to force him into a maneuver on a right-hand corner?
"Well, to be honest, we can argue that he was weaker in the right-hand corners, you know… Because he was super fast in turn 8 and he was passing me like I was a moving chicane. (laughs)"
But anyway, like I said, I never give up. If he overtook me, I tried to overtake him again, you know.
The problem is that on the last attempt, he blocked me and I was already… (exhausted?).
But regardless, it's always fun to fight with Marc.
As he said earlier, the overtaking maneuvers were really clean. There were a few contacts, but always within the rules, let's say.