The press conference at the end of the Grand Prix Indonesia MotoGP 2025 gathered in Mandalika Fermin Aldeguer (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP), Peter Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) and Alex Marquez (BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP) for their post-race debriefing.
Peter Acosta finished second, as he did last year here as a rookie. This is his eighth podium in MotoGP and the third of the season so far, after Brno (P3) and Hungary (P2).
He is now 5th in the championship, 39 points behind Marco Bezzecchi and 8 points ahead Franco Morbidelli which he has just passed.
As usual, we report here in full the words of the latter, without the slightest formatting, even if it is translated from English.
🎤 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Sunday press conference here at the Pertamina Indonesia Grand Prix. We have our top three riders from an unforgettable day for the BK8 Gresini Racing Ducati Team. What a day for Fermin Aldeguer, the second-youngest rider to win in MotoGP history, the first rookie to do so since Jorge Martin in 2021, great job by Fermin!
What a fight also for second place for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider, Pedro Acosta, second for the Spanish rider.
And to complete this all-Spanish podium, a double podium for the Gresini Racing team, Alex Marquez. Gentlemen, congratulations to all three of you! It was a very, very long and difficult race, 27 laps in very hot conditions.
🎤 Second place, and a hard-fought second, for Red Bull KTM Factory rider Pedro Acosta. Pedro, you had a fantastic start. We saw you leading from the first corner, very brave under braking on that lap, and you stayed in front for the first six laps to finish this demanding race in second place. You must be very pleased with how your Sunday went...
Pedro Acosta: “Yes, I mean, we followed exactly what we had planned: to make a good start, to try to be first, or close to the first in this first part of the race, because we knew that normally we are slightly faster than the others. But here, it was quite difficult for us because it was not possible to use the same front tire as the others. So it was quite complicated to manage, especially the front tire pressure, because if I was really behind, it was too high, and if I was alone, it was too low.
So it wasn't an easy race. We know where our bike's weak points are and where we can improve. To do that, we'll try to learn from those elements. I think I'm becoming a better rider since the beginning of the year, which was quite difficult, and now I'm a little more mature. I think I'm racing better and I'm not making the rookie mistakes I was making at the beginning of the season.
It's true that after the summer break we've been more or less consistent in that top five. So we have to try to take that small step. We're getting closer, we're trying to fight for the podium every weekend. For that, more or less, we have to be happy with this weekend, because after yesterday's race and all the pain I had in my shoulder, it wasn't easy."
🎤 You had a lot of great duels in this Grand Prix, first with Fermin, then with Alex, with Marini, with Alex Rins. How hard did you have to fight to hold on to second place?
“Well, more than anything, it was about managing the front tire pressure, you know, it wasn't that easy. It's true that at the end of the race I had a small advantage over the group I was in, because I managed the rear tire quite well. As I said, it's not easy to fight with bikes that turn better than you and can use a softer front tire.
But anyway, we gave our best. The team did a great job after yesterday's mistake. We didn't get upset about it. I think, as I said, we should be satisfied. Thanks to the whole KTM team, to all my staff who gave everything for me, even after a difficult start to the season... For that, we should be quite happy."
🎤 Pedro, it seems like KTM is making progress compared to the first races, but... there's still something missing. You said you know what's missing. Can you explain it to us as well?
“Well, I still have a lot of things missing, you know (laughs). We know we have to use a harder front tire in the race. For us, it was not possible to race with the soft front tire, and you can see that all the drivers, except for Quartararo who used the hard but it was the only different choice at this level.
We know there's something going on with the front of the bike because we're not turning enough and we don't have any support from the front end, and a lot of the crashes we have come from that lack of feel. For that, it's quite difficult to know exactly what to do now, but KTM is definitely working on it.
At the very least, I can be fast more or less all the time. Now I'm more or less constantly in that top five. I'm becoming a better rider, I think I'm maturing a little bit more, compared to the progress I made last year. For that, I think I'm pretty ready now, I'm more consistent, fast, and I'm not making too many mistakes anymore. We're improving that way."
Results of the MotoGP Indonesian Grand Prix in Mandalika:
Classification credit: motogp.com
