1 km from the Aragon desert in Spain, to the Adriatic coast in Italy, Peter Acosta and the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 team are already hard at work on the iconic Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli for the 13th round of the World Championship. MotoGP, the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. After a dream weekend with two podiums in Aragon, the rookie from Hervé Poncharal's team will try to continue his momentum in Italy.
"Sometimes they say that taking one step back allows you to take two steps forward.", this is the new philosophy of Peter Acosta, after the baby shark and his technical team reverted to a more basic set-up similar to that used at the start of the season, following a few difficult rounds. It seems that simplicity was just what the rookie needed to remind everyone what he can do. Last weekend at Aragon, the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 driver finally returned to the limelight, equalling his best qualifying result of P2 before taking bronze in the Sprint later in the afternoon. But that wasn’t all for the number 31, as he also finished third in the main race, his third Sunday podium, having not been seen on a Sunday podium since Austin. Eager to continue his rise, the Iberian rider will be eager to see how his new working methods adapt to the very different Misano layout. One thing seems certain, Peter Acosta will need to secure a ticket to Q2 if he hopes to fight for the top 5 spots.
With the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini set to be eventful, local hero and double world champion Francis Bagnaia having no choice but to win everything to prevent Jorge Martin to escape in the fight for the championship, the young shark 5th in the championship will also want to have fun in Italy, just like Marc Marquez, again winner in MotoGP™ for the first time in 1043 days.
Michelin brings harder rubber to the front, and the KTMs are far from hating it. Peter Acosta could he take advantage of it?
Peter Acosta : “We come to Misano after a good weekend in Aragon. We seem to have found the way forward and we will try to maintain it this weekend. We have studied a lot to try to understand what we can do to be competitive again, and going back to the set-up from the start of the season has helped us. They say that taking one step back is two steps forward, and that is what we are doing so far. Misano is a track that I like and one that we will be racing a lot on this month, so I hope to get into the rhythm from this Friday and be able to drive fast throughout the weekend. The main goal is to continue in this direction and improve the direct passage to Q2, which is where we are struggling the most.”
Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager: “After a successful Aragon Grand Prix, we are already heading towards another week of racing for the Gran Premio Red Bull di San Marino e della Riviera di Rimini. This race will be followed by the last official test of 2024, where the factories traditionally test the prototypes for the following season. The San Marino track, one of the oldest, is known for being one of the circuits with the highest grip of the season, and it features some of the fastest corners in the championship. Pedro Acosta’s confidence will be at its peak after a dream weekend in Spain, but we will see if the return to basics also works on this track, very different from MotorLand. One thing is for sure, he is fully motivated, and he won in Moto2 last season, so we know he loves Misano. Let’s get to work and enjoy the Italian atmosphere!”
MotoGP Misano Pedro Acosta
