Marco Bezzecchi
Pedro Acosta was intent on studying Marc Marquez’s riding style during their prolonged battle in Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.
Acosta and Marquez fought for fourth place in the first half of the race before both riders fell away. While the KTM rider eventually got ahead of his compatriot, they were passed by Trackhouse’s Ai Ogura and VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Marquez wasn’t fully fit at Mugello as he returned from two surgeries, but he was able to use the superior straight-line speed of the Ducati to repeatedly re-pass Acosta on the run to turn one.
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Pedro Acosta: I wanted to learn how to manage the tyres
Speaking to DAZN after the race, Acosta said he deliberately stayed behind Marquez ‘for several laps’ so he could observe the reigning champion.
Acosta finished a disappointing eighth at Mugello last year after suffering with tyre wear and wanted to see how Marquez was protecting the Michelin rubber.
He also knew that being aggressive throughout would inevitably leave him short on grip in the closing laps, and he could perhaps bank on Marquez tiring given his current lack of fitness.
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Acosta held on to tyres for longer than usual, but still has work to do on the recurring weakness after losing out to Ogura and Di Giannantonio.
“I tend to brake a bit too hard,” he explained. “Since joining Ducati, Marc has been smoother and more composed. I wanted to learn how to manage the tyres.
“It was the first time I managed to hold on with three laps to go. Then I ended up in the same old rut.”
Pedro Acosta agrees with Marc Marquez about Mugello battle
Marquez praised Acosta after the race and admitted that he only stayed ahead of his 2027 teammate because of his superior machinery.
Acosta acknowledged that he was hamstrung by a lack of power and wants KTM to investigate.
- READ MORE: Marc Marquez’s embarrassing Italian GP overtake on Pedro Acosta sums up why he is leaving KTM
“We knew we’d be lacking top speed,” he told the written media, including Speedweek. “We need to find out why. Things looked better after Brazil and America.”
Elsewhere at KTM, Acosta’s factory teammate Brad Binder finished 11th, Enea Bastianini crashed out and Maverick Vinales came home 17th.
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