Valentino Rossi and VR46 aren’t telling the truth about their pursuit of Pedro Acosta in the MotoGP paddock

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Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team have been heavily linked with Pedro Acosta in recent months. Acosta is seemingly growing frustrated at KTM.

The Austrian manufacturer scored six podiums last year, five of them through Acosta, but haven’t managed one in the first five races of the current campaign. Tech3’s Maverick Vinales thought he’d finished second in Qatar, only to receive a 16-second penalty for a tyre pressure breach.

KTM appear to have fallen further away from Ducati, and Acosta is impatient to ride a winning bike. VR46, who have been given a current-spec Desmosedici for Fabio di Giannantonio, have sensed an opportunity.

Rossi sees Acosta as ‘the anti-Marc Marquez’ and his presence at recent MotoGP races has theoretically facilitated talks. Franco Morbidelli is out of contract at the end of the year.

Acosta has a ‘good, open’ relationship with Rossi and has seen KTM’s financial crisis deepen of late. Production has once again ceased at the factory, with all employees placed on leave.

VR46 are ‘hinting’ at Pedro Acosta talks even though they can’t afford him

A recent report claimed VR46 are the favourites to sign Acosta, ahead of Honda. But speaking on The Race MotoGP podcast, journalist Simon Patterson said it would be ‘impossible’ for them to buy the Spaniard out.

Acosta’s buyout fee is set at £4.3m, and while team owner Rossi has that sort of money, he doesn’t necessarily want to spend it. As such, VR46 may have to wait until Acosta’s deal expires at the end of next year.

Honda may be able to afford the buyout, but they’ll struggle to attract Acosta. He wants to join a ‘finished project’, and the Japanese manufacturer are currently ninth in the championship.

Marc Marquez says every rider wants to race for a factory team, but it seems Acosta’s main concern is being competitive, even if it comes at the cost of a higher salary.

“There’s a lot going on. We know that he’s talking to Ducati about options. VR46 certainly like hinting to everyone that they are, although I don’t think that’s the case in terms of their ability to buy him out of a contract, which is nigh-on impossible.

“A rider manager made a very good point to me at the weekend. There are three ways you leave a contract basically – get sacked, you come to a mutual agreement, or it ends up in court.

“And no-one is taking it to court to sue their rider to ride a bike he doesn’t want to ride, then he really is phoning it in. That essentially means they have to come to a gentleman’s agreement if they want to get rid of him.

“That involves a lot of money that I don’t think VR46 have. I’m almost certain that Valentino Rossi has it, but doesn’t want to spend it, because it’s his money and not the team’s.

“There is a rumour that Honda do, but then it seems like Acosta doesn’t want to go to Honda, because he wants to go ride a finished project.

“It looks like Honda have given up a little bit on the hopes of getting him.”

Alberto Puig’s comments about Pedro Acosta suddenly make more sense

There’s a theory that Acosta is distracted right now as he sits at the centre of the MotoGP rider market. His recent results haven’t been especially eye-catching.

While Vinales produced a spectacular ride in Qatar, Acosta was a solid but quiet eighth. And he was outshone by Enea Bastianini in Spain last weekend (fourth vs seventh).

Speaking in the Jerez paddock, HRC team boss Alberto Puig called the Acosta story a ‘hoax’. At the time, that was a surprising remark given the strength of the rumours.

But in light of Patterson’s update, it makes more sense. Puig maintains that Honda won’t actively pursue superstar riders until they build a contending bike.