KTM rider Pedro Acosta’s life outside of MotoGP from net worth to girlfriend

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Pedro Acosta is ‘The Shark’ of the MotoGP grid thanks to the Spanish phenomenon’s ruthless mindset, so here is all you need to know about the KTM Factory Racing rider.

Hype is never far away from Acosta as many believe he is the most talented rider to rise up the junior categories in recent years. The KTM protégé’s aggressive approach has often put Acosta in a class of his own and even first earned him the Austrian brand’s backing in 2020.

KTM signed Acosta as an emerging talent in 2020 while competing in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup to offer the Spaniard his route onto the world championship stage in the 2021 Moto3 season. His time with KTM also led to Acosta’s MotoGP debut come 2024 for Tech3.

KTM Factory Racing MotoGP rider Pedro Acosta is the ‘new Marc Marquez’

Acosta believes KTM saved his entire career when they first signed him back in 2020 despite going on to win the Red Bull Rookies Cup title that year in dominant fashion. He even thinks the door to a career in MotoGP may have closed without entering the all-KTM junior series.

KTM and Red Bull gave Acosta his first opportunity to enter the Rookies Cup in 2019 and he came second in the riders’ standings after scoring three wins in 10 races. His dominant start in 2020 with six wins from the first six races then set Acosta up to win the Rookies Cup title.

His rise since taking the 2020 Rookies Cup title by 64 points has also seen many dub Acosta as the ‘new Marc Marquez’ as his style has similarities with the Spaniard’s. Being compared to Marquez, who won six MotoGP titles from 2013-2019, is a real source of pride for Acosta.

Like Marquez, Acosta also won lightweight and intermediate class titles en route to MotoGP. Acosta lifted the 2021 Moto3 title in his rookie season riding for the Red Bull KTM Ajo team, with whom he secured six wins and eight podiums over 18 races which returned 259 points.

Pedro Acosta is a Moto2 and Moto3 riders’ champion

Acosta also made headlines from the moment KTM put the Spaniard on a Moto3 bike at the 2021 season-opening Grand Prix of Qatar by rising from P11 on the grid to claim second. He then showed what the hype was about as Acosta won the 2021 Moto3 Grand Prix of Doha.

Even his pit lane start penalty was not enough to stop Acosta from winning the 2021 Grand Prix of Doha in just his second Moto3 race. It marked series history, too, as Acosta became the first lightweight class rider to recover from a pit lane start penalty and still win the race.

Acosta continued to prove he was the class of the Moto3 field as a rookie and won the title by 43 points. Many then expected Acosta could instantly fight for the Moto2 title in 2022 as he graduated with Red Bull KTM Ajo but he needed a year to fully adapt to the heavier bike.

Breaking his left femur in a training incident ahead of the 2022 Dutch TT at Assen helped to delay Acosta’s adaptation to Moto2. The Spaniard had only recently won his first race in the intermediate class when Acosta took Moto2 glory at the 2022 Grand Prix of Italy at Mugello.

Further wins in 2022 at Aragon and Valencia helped Acosta start 2023 strongly with wins at Portimao, the Circuit of the Americas, Mugello and the Sachsenring in the first seven races. Acosta went on to win the 2023 Moto2 title by 83 points with seven wins and 14 podiums.

KTM then presented Acosta with his route onto the MotoGP grid for the 2024 season with their satellite team, Tech3. KTM feared Acosta slipping through their fingers if they did not promote the Spaniard, who was tipped to go from Moto3 to MotoGP after his win in Doha.

Pedro Acosta made his MotoGP debut with Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 in 2024

The factory KTM MotoGP rider line-up was off-limits to Acosta for the 2024 season, as Brad Binder and Jack Miller led the Austrian squad’s efforts. Yet it only took Acosta six races with Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 riding a works-spec RC16 bike to get a promotion to KTM for 2025.

Acosta immediately adapted to MotoGP machinery with satellite KTM team Tech3 and had his first premier class podium in round two of the 2024 season with P3 in the Grand Prix of Portugal. He also backed his P3 up in round three with P2 in the Grand Prix of the Americas.

A rookie race win ultimately escaped Acosta, who led the 2024 MotoGP falls standings with 28 crashes – four more than any rider over the season. His crashes due to mistakes cost him an awful lot of points, too, as Acosta finished 2024 in sixth place – two points shy of Binder.

But who really is Acosta and what is the Spanish sensation’s life outside of the MotoGP grid really like? MotoGP News takes a look into everything that you need to know about Acosta.

Who is Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Pedro Acosta?

Pedro Acosta is one of the latest Spanish stars to shine in MotoGP and currently rides for the KTM Factory Racing team. The Austrian squad have supported Acosta since his title-winning rookie Moto3 season in 2021, and later helped him graduate to MotoGP with Tech3 in 2024.

How old is Pedro Acosta? Where was he born and what is his nationality?

Born on 25 May in 2004, Pedro Acosta is currently 21 years old as of the time of writing.

Acosta is of Spanish nationality as he was born in Mazarron, which is a municipality in the province of Murcia. Mazarron, in south-east Spain, is Murcia’s 11th-largest municipality.

How tall is Pedro Acosta? What is his height in feet?

Measuring in at a height of 1.71 metres, Pedro Acosta stands at 5 ft 6 in, making him the average height for a MotoGP rider.

Acosta is slightly lighter than the 2025 grid’s average weight, at 63kg (9st 12lbs), matching Somkiat Chantra, Brad Binder and Jorge Martin.

Pedro Acosta’s net worth

Thanks to his graduation to MotoGP in the 2024 season, Pedro Acosta’s net worth exceeded £1m and will continue to increase. But precise valuations for Acosta’s worth are unreported.

Pedro Acosta has two sisters and his dad was a fisherman

The Acosta family is a close-knit group and a key source of support for Pedro throughout his rise to and time in MotoGP. Acosta’s parents were even central to him starting a career as a motorcycle racer. His dad was a fisherman, while his mum raised Acosta and his two sisters.

Pedro is the youngest of the Acosta siblings with Miriam five years his elder and Maria nine years older than the MotoGP sensation. Both also attended Pedro’s races from an early age after his father bought the Spaniard his first motocross bike aged five to gauge any interest.

Does Pedro Acosta have a girlfriend?

Pedro Acosta has been dating Desiree Piqueras since February 2024. Desiree, who is also a Spanish sportswoman, often attends races too, but in support of her brother, Moto3 rider Angel Piqueras.

How did Pedro Acosta get his nickname ‘The Shark’?

Nicknames are a key piece of a MotoGP rider’s identity and Pedro Acosta adopts ‘The Shark’ as his. The Spaniard drew the nickname for his aggressive yet mature style on the track and from Acosta embracing the Spanish phrase of ‘In a world full of fish, you must be the Shark’.

Why Pedro Acosta chose 37 as his permanent MotoGP race number

Pedro Acosta switched from the No31 plate to the No37 ahead of the 2025 MotoGP season and his first with KTM Factory Racing. The Spaniard took 31 for his permanent race number for his rookie MotoGP season in 2024 owing to Augusto Fernandez already running with 37.

But the No37 plate became available for Acosta after Fernandez, who was his teammate for Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 in 2024, did not secure a ride for the 2025 MotoGP season. Acosta jumped at a chance to swap to 37 having used it when he won his Moto2 and Moto3 titles.

What’s been said about Pedro Acosta? Is he any good?

Hype has followed Pedro Acosta throughout his career since winning a PreMoto3 Champion of Spain title with two races to spare in 2017. His rise through the junior ranks kept tongues wagging, too, to draw comparisons between Acosta and Marc Marquez plus Valentino Rossi.

Three-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo said in July 2024 while speaking about Acosta: “He has qualities from Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi [with] the charisma, and also from Marc Marquez [with his] ambition and believing in himself.”

South African star Brad Binder believes Acosta’s braking is ‘extremely’ strong, too, as it is an incredible challenge to beat the Spaniard on the brakes as he will push the limits into every corner. Binder also admires how Acosta can make a MotoGP bike turn with great precision.

Pedro Acosta’s Grand Prix career racing stats

Pedro Acosta made his world championship debut in style by winning the 2021 Moto3 title as a rookie, before lifting the 2023 Moto2 championship and also graduating to MotoGP in 2024. As of the end of the 2024 MotoGP season, Acosta had not won a premier class race.