Let's talk MotoGP: Here's why Pedro Acosta is already a monster

The Pedro Acosta shark, monster of the deep, has just bitten for the first time. On the occasion of his first MotoGP outing, the 3 and 2 double Moto2021/Moto2023 world champion has just affirmed himself as the best potential since Marc Marquez. From the practice sessions, he showed all the drivers that they had something to worry about, and this was only confirmed during the Sunday race. Analysis of a weekend like no other.

 

Comfortable

 

I've been trying, over the last few days, to compile what made Pedro Acosta so special. I mentioned his precocity in a two-part article comparing him directly to Marc Marquez; I invite you to find it by clicking here. But today is not about that. From now on, the conditional is no longer obligatory.

Firstly, his ease on the machine is quite disconcerting. During the tests, he rewarded us with two rescues which show to what extent he is one with his GasGas RC16, and in such a short time. It seems that the KTM is not the most difficult to get to grips with, as Brad Binder, Jack Miller and even, to a lesser extent, Augusto Fernandez, managed to quickly find rhythm on its handlebars.. In the case of the saves, it shows how hard he is trying to find the limit, but also, that he can exceed it. This bodes very well.

 

 

Second, during the Grand Prix. I won't go back too much on his Sprint, because I found him very good, of course, given his age, but not as explosive as on Sunday despite an 8th place synonymous with the best result. The next day, therefore, he deliberately forced his tires knowing that they were going to be destroyed to play in front. This completely explains his descent in the ranking as the loops ticked by.

 

 

But over these 15 laps in the good group, he offered us some great driving. To look at him, there's no way to tell him apart from a veteran. I won't hide from you that when he got closer to Marc Marquez, my blood boiled. The idea of ​​an almost poetic battle between two geniuses enchanted me to the highest degree. Well, okay, it didn't really happen because Acosta missed and had to go wide after passing him. But in its approach, its braking, its outlook and its selection of trajectories – particularly at the exit of turn n°9 so as not to destroy the rear rubber, he was in his place, there is no doubt about it.

This point joins another, which concerns ease in the paddock. Since 2023, he has been speaking like someone who knows his stuff, with a maturity, in my opinion, much greater than drivers who have been in the premier category for several years! At the press conference, he is more than at ease, he is programmed, configured to become a legend of this sport. It's very strong, and it's much more impressive, in my opinion, than his 9th place.

 

Collateral victim

 

I believe that Augusto Fernandez has never been so calm since his arrival in MotoGP. Rarely have I seen a driver so eclipsed by his teammate during a weekend. And yes, I remember Sam Lowes' 2017 season at Aprilia. The problem is that this seems set to last.

 

 

Even if Augusto finished 4th in the 2023 French Grand Prix after a remarkable and remarkable performance, this single Sunday race by Pedro Acosta is enough to make us forget the simple existence of another driver at GasGas Tech3. It's sad, but it's also the game. Augusto has to do better if he wants to survive at the highest level, especially if KTM continues to progress as it has. Regularly, and again, in view of Acosta's self-destructive strategy, Fernandez takes a full 13 seconds to the finish on his 41st MotoGP start. On one lap, the gap was more than a second. Augusto Fernandez could well be the shark's first victim.

 

 

A record that will stand?

 

Then comes the question of the youngest victory in the premier category. Marc Marquez currently holds it, following a success at the 2013 Grand Prix of the Americas, acquired at the age of 20 years and 63 days. Pedro Acosta, 19, has until the German Grand Prix (in nine races) to beat him. The question is clear: can he do it?

I think not. As good as it was, his performance was not realistic because tire degradation is an absolutely determining factor in Qatar. All the pilots knew it, including him. Acosta was the only one to deliberately burn his rubber to learn as much as possible. Without that, he would probably have hovered around 10th place according to his own words. I think he's getting closer and closer to the podium, but to win, he has to hang on.

 

 

Binder did it in his rookie year in Brno, but during the 2020 season. The opposition was not the same. Here, Pedro must get rid of a Pecco Bagnaia pattern size, a swift Jorge Martin, a serious Binder, a vengeful Marquez and an Aleix Espargaro, casually, still in the game. That's a lot, especially if we add to the equation the tracks on which he hasn't tested, the package, which is less good than the Ducati, and the little time he has left. If there are falls, a big race or special conditions, it is possible; but on a “regular” basis, it seems more tense to me.

Marquez, in 2013, enjoyed a much more favorable context as a Honda official. I think this record belongs to the past, but like all Grand Prix lovers, I sincerely hope I am wrong. This is just a prediction that only reflects my opinion, nothing more.

Your opinion interests me greatly. What did you think of this first race weekend for Pedro Acosta? Tell me in the comments!

Cover photo: Photo: GasGas Tech3