The second press conference as a prelude to the Qatar Grand Prix motorcycle, on the Losail circuit, brought together Marc Marquez, fabio quartararo et Peter Acosta, three outsiders for the 2024 world title, to answer various questions from journalists.
Fast on the track and visibly mentally strong, the rookie Peter Acosta, with experience helping, no longer seems to have to suffer from the enormous enthusiasm he is receiving from the paddock and the specialized media...
As usual, we report his words here without the slightest formatting, even if it is translated from English.
We are preparing to host the Qatar Grand Prix Qatar and the opening round of the 2024 MotoGP World Championship. It is now time for the second pre-event press conference. I am delighted to welcome three drivers who have 11 world championships between them. We welcome, of course, in the center, Marc Marquez, 8 times world champion. Marc begins a new chapter in his career in 2024, after joining Gresini Racing alongside his younger brother Alex. To Marc's right, we welcome Fabio Quartararo, Monster Energy Yamaha rider, of course MotoGP world champion in 2021 and vice-world champion in 2022. Finally, we welcome a young rider whose future is incredibly promising , since he is already Moto3 and Moto2 world champion. This is the Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 driver, Pedro Acosta. Gentlemen, welcome to you three!
Pedro, first of all, it's nice to see you again. I'm sure you've been dreaming of this weekend for many years, before your MotoGP days. You're sitting alongside MotoGP world champions like Marc and Fabio. How excited are you for this exceptional weekend? I know you don't like to talk about goals or objectives, but for this weekend, what would be a good result for you before you leave for the airport on Sunday evening?
Pedro Acosta: “Well, super excited, you know. Ultimately, getting to a MotoGP race is much more enjoyable than testing, because we did a lot of laps this winter with the MotoGP bike. But talking about goals, at the end of the day, we can't talk about goals, because I haven't even done a race, you know. I don't know. We will try to have fun and not think about any result. »
Pedro, we talked a lot about you, Marc and Aleix, especially during the Sepang tests. They said you were not a beginner, you rode like an experienced rider. And expectations are high from everyone else except you who say you have no expectations. But are you hoping to beat Marc's record, the youngest rider to win Moto GP, by the Sachsenring?
“Well, I don’t think so!” In the end, it's a different period of MotoGP. As he said, the bikes have changed a lot, when we are in a group during the race, and the problem is that, okay I have done a lot of laps, but I have not practiced a race in a real race, you know, behind a lot of motorcycles. Everyone's expectations are pretty high, but expectations are no good, you know. You can talk and you can think about that, but in this era of MotoGP it's different for our careers. Because of that, now is not the time to think about it. »
So far, has it been more difficult for you to move from Moto3 to Moto2 or from Moto2 to MotoGP?
“For sure, going from Moto3 to Moto2 was a big change. I was also very young and maybe dealing with the media was hard for me. You know, in the end, it wasn't so much the category change as it was the change on the part of the media. It was the first season where I had a lot of expectations, the first season where everyone thought Pedro was going to win the championship. The year before, in Moto3, everyone expected me to make the jump to MotoGP, and maybe that's why the media were quite hard on me. Today I'm a little older, I have a lot more experience in this area and it's more the experience I've gained than changing bikes. »
What is the main concern on the eve of the first Grand Price of the season, what concerns you most?
“For me, in the end, we have a lot of question marks, you know, and a lot of things we're not sure about, about how I'm going to be in a real race weekend. But anyway, the first MotoGP race will serve as a goal or a means for us to see where we need to improve. »
Pedro, do you remember your first press conference with these guys in Jerez in 2021?
" I remember. »
And what can you say about how your life has changed in just three years?
" Not that much ! Before I was a rookie, now I'm a rookie again. Because of that, not too much, not too much. I still live in my house, I still live in Spain. What can I say ? You know, right now, you know, being in this press conference was already a new goal. Either way, it doesn't change much. »
Pedro, you obviously had an excellent pre-season, but what is the area of your riding that you feel you need to further improve and adapt to MotoGP?
" A lot ! Ultimately, looking at last year's races, I see that the lines that Brad and Jack are doing are completely, not that different, but we have a few different lines. and for sure we have to learn from the KTM guys who are at the top level, because we saw last season that Brad finished fourth, I think, and he was really competitive at the end of the season. It is therefore he who must be observed. »
