Marco Bezzecchi
Pedro Acosta recorded the best points haul of his MotoGP career at the Malaysian Grand Prix, and has revealed the last-minute request he gave to KTM to achieve it.
Acosta ended the race weekend in Sepang with an extra 27 points to his 2025 championship tally, reinforcing his position of fifth in the premier class standings as he sets his sights on toppling Francesco Bagnaia in fourth.
Despite achieving more points during his sophomore season in MotoGP than his 2024 rookie campaign, Acosta feels like he is ‘fighting for nothing’ at KTM, which may hint that he is losing faith in the team.
However, the performance of his RC16 was strong at the Sepang-based circuit, with Acosta surprising Michael Laverty through his ability to pull a gap to Bagnaia before the Italian rider’s unfortunate retirement in the latter stages of the Grand Prix.
READ MORE: Pedro Acosta knows what he’s still ‘missing’ at KTM as wait for first MotoGP win continues
Pedro Acosta asked KTM to remove ‘all’ controls from his bike ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix
Speaking to journalists following the conclusion of the Malaysian Grand Prix, the Murcian rider revealed the request he gave to the Austrian constructor ahead of Sunday’s race that aided him in his hopes of securing a second podium of the weekend, as well as a potential maiden win in the category.
He said, via Motorsport.com: “I already suffered a lot with tyre wear yesterday, today we tried something in the warm-up and we went backwards, I was never convinced by what we tried and even less so today.
“We were undecided, and since things couldn’t be worse, I asked for everything to be taken off, as if it were a normal race, in which there would be no tyre wear, and I managed, as best I can, with the gas, with the brake, with the ‘pick-ups’, with the height device… if I sink into the hole as always, I sink myself.
“We managed it very well. I struggled a lot in the end, especially in the last three laps, but we already had a good lead. We’ve made a big step forward compared to yesterday. It’s been a matter of putting things in their place.
“I’m not comfortable with so many checks, but I’m going. It’s not a good idea to suffer even more. We had nothing to lose; it was better to draw some conclusions than to fall back on the same old cliché. In reality, it was just a podium finish.
“Yesterday we were fourth, struggling as always. Today we managed well, we had a good plan, not using the altitude devices at the start or the finish, just behind Pecco, and it was a pretty solid race.”
READ MORE: Pedro Acosta’s stance on signing a new contract after KTM refused his seven-figure buy-out offer
Pedro Acosta has been told that a move to Ducati is ‘unlikely’ amid frustrations at KTM
It’s no secret that the Spaniard is ready to take his premier class career to the next step and consistently start battling at the front of the pack in hopes of challenging for a world title.
He has been the flag-bearer for KTM during the current campaign, often achieving on his way to the current position he finds himself in within the standings. The closest KTM rider to him is currently Brad Binder, who is way off the tally of his factory teammate in 12th place.
Ducati hold Acosta as their top priority in terms of riders they would like to see atop their prototypes in the future.
However, a move to Ducati for Acosta is looking unlikely due to the fact that the 21-year-old may not gel completely with the 2025 title-winner, Marc Marquez.
The Borgo Panigale-based team may be wary of how the team dynamic will work with two of the most aggressive riders on the grid within the same garage.
Despite this, Acosta has stated that he would ‘trade’ places with Bagnaia at the dominant factory outfit. He knows that the Italian constructor are the best-placed team to be able to give him a championship-winning calibre of machinery.
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