Pedro Acosta says he doesn’t have a ‘relationship’ with any of his MotoGP rivals

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Pedro Acosta has addressed his relationship with VR46 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio after their spat at the French Grand Prix.

Acosta was furious that Di Giannantonio looked back at him after passing him for fourth place at the end of the race. He saw it as a sign of disrespect and vowed to ‘remember’ it.

Di Giannantonio insisted that he only turned his head to check the position of the KTM bike, rather than playing any psychological games.

Does Pedro Acosta have the right attitude, or is he too aggressive?

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‘It’s not worth getting into arguments,’ Pedro Acosta says

Speaking to outlets including MARCA ahead of the Catalan Grand Prix, Acosta struck a more diplomatic tone, insisting that he wanted to put the incident ‘behind’ him.

In fact, he suggested that both riders should be ‘ashamed’ of themselves given that they weren’t even fighting for a podium place, even if he appreciates that his post-race comments were ‘good for the show’.

“Well, I think it’s time to put this behind us,” he said. “Because, thinking about it rationally, we were fighting over a fourth. We should be ashamed, not just me, we should both be ashamed, doing these shows for a fourth.

“So, it’s time to move on. In the end, it’s just part of the business. It’s been a while since things have been like this. If it’s good for the show, it’s good for everything. But it’s not worth getting into these arguments over a fourth.”

• READ MORE: Dani Pedrosa says Pedro Acosta is now learning what it takes to be a MotoGP star off the track

Asked about his relationship with Di Giannantonio, Acosta made clear that he keeps his distance from every rider on the grid.

He said: “My relationship with him? A politically correct one. I don’t have much of a relationship with anyone here.”

Some believe that the charismatic Acosta will become the ‘face’ of MotoGP once seven-time champion Marc Marquez retires. He is poised to join the works Ducati team alongside his compatriot next year.

Acosta won his first premier-class race of any description in Thailand when he beat Marquez in a thrilling Sprint race battle, but he has only scored one podium in the last four weekends, with KTM a clear third in the pecking order behind Aprilia and Ducati.

Indeed, the fourth-place man is currently the only rider in the top nine of the world championship who isn’t riding either of those bikes.