Marco Bezzecchi
Pedro Acosta scored a Sprint podium at the Valencia Grand Prix on Saturday. That’s four in a row for the KTM rider in the shorter format, and five in the last six.
Acosta was disappointed to qualify fifth after setting the pace on Friday, but he made an excellent start to take second place. Any hope of a first victory was short-lived, though, as Gresini rider Alex Marquez pulled away.
Still, Acosta’s P2 promotes him to fourth in the championship above Francesco Bagnaia, and he should be able to seal it on Sunday with the Ducati rider down in 16th.
Overall, he’s scored 12 podiums in 2025, eight of them in the last six weekends.
Pit Beirer admits Pedro Acosta is currently too good for KTM
There’s no question that Acosta has been one of the top riders in MotoGP this year, particularly in the second half of the season. He’s levels above his KTM stablemates, all of whom are outside the top 10 in the standings.
In fact, speaking to Sky Italy in Valencia, KTM boss Pit Beirer claimed that, in the absence of injured world champion Marc Marquez, he’s the class of the field.
“He’s the best rider in the paddock right now and he could race with whoever he wants,” he said.
- READ MORE: MotoGP Sprint race results as Alex Marquez takes victory ahead of Pedro Acosta in Valencia
Acosta has been linked with Ducati, with his contract due to expire in 2026, and Honda reportedly want to sign him too. Beirer admits that he’s at risk of outgrowing KTM.
“He’s taken a step above us, now it’s up to us to adapt to his level and make him happy,” he said. “He’s not someone who chases money; he just wants a winning bike, and we have to do everything we can to satisfy him.”
Two riders are still better than Pedro Acosta
KTM test rider Pol Espargaro recently said that Acosta is in the same bracket as Marquez and Fabio Quartararo. For now, those two riders are both ahead.
That’s natural, given that Acosta is still in his second season. But the biggest talents are judged by the highest standards.
Qualifying is still holding him back. Yes, Acosta swept Brad Binder in the intra-team head-to-head, but he’s frankly too good for the inconsistent South African to be his benchmark.
Acosta had to wait until round 21 out of 22 in Portugal for his first front-row start. He should have had another here, but as crew chief Paul Trevathan explained, he couldn’t execute.
“We saw [on] the ideal times he was actually the fastest,” he told TNT Sports. “It’s all about just putting it all together.”
That sentiment could apply to several Acosta qualifying sessions this year, with the Spaniard also guilty of crashing at key moments.
With Fabio Quartararo able to drag the Yamaha, statistically the slowest bike on the grid, to five poles this year, he still has to be ranked above Acosta for now.
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