MotoGP
Published on April 24, 2026 • 21:30 PM by Nicolas Pascual

MotoGP Jerez Day 1, Pedro Acosta (KTM/15) is desperate and hopes it will be "the worst weekend of the year"

Pedro Acosta, who had been phenomenal until now, experienced his first setback of the season in Jerez. But why was he so far down in the standings?

Peter Acosta

During this first day in Jerez, Pedro Acosta was nowhere to be seen.The KTM factory rider, who is still third in the world championship at the time of writing, never managed to get into his stride during the session, repeatedly encountering a problem in the final sector. Strangely, Tech3 rider Enea Bastianini finished ahead of him, which is quite unusual and worth noting. Acosta knows that on a circuit that is difficult for him in MotoGP, the weekend could be very long, especially if he fails to make his mark in Q1 tomorrow morning.

He was almost speechless when discussing his poor performance. It's not every day that Acosta finishes 15th in a Practice session, even if the times indicate he's not far off. « Well, it's difficult… it's hard to understand, especially after some very good Grand PrixThe fact that everything was so close makes it even more bitter, because two-tenths of a second away, we could have been third. It was hard to understand, because I usually have these feelings here. I hope this is the worst Grand Prix of the year. » he declared to our microphones.

 

 

He identified a problem that was hindering him during braking phases, and asked his engineers to look into the front suspension. “We need to understand what’s going on, because we’re having a lot of trouble braking, when that should be our strong point. It's hard to say, because it's the only circuit where I always get that feeling with MotoGP » he added.

 

Peter Acosta
Photo: Michelin Motorsport

 

According to him, everything will be decided during Q1, a session which promises to be challenging with Johann Zarco and Joan Mir. “Q1 will be crucial. If it doesn’t rain on Sunday, it will be decisive. If we start 15th, our pace won’t be of much use to us.” Because, yes, our pace wasn't bad, especially on my best lap, but if we start from the back, it's pointless. We'll have to fight tomorrow. The competition will be intense; there will be some fast drivers. he concluded.

Can you imagine Pedro Acosta still making his mark this weekend, despite this sluggish start to the Grand Prix? Tell us in the comments!

Results of the Practice session at the 2026 Spanish MotoGP Grand Prix:

 

 

Classification credit: MotoGP.com

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport