Marco Bezzecchi
Pedro Acosta has drawn a comparison to four-time Formula 1 world champion and fellow Red Bull athlete Max Verstappen due to his ‘fierce’ attitude and aggressive race craft out on track.
Now in his third full season of racing in the premier class, Pedro Acosta is currently enjoying his best season yet in MotoGP as he continues to battle against KTM’s sub-optimal 2026-spec prototype.
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He is still on the hunt for a maiden Grand Prix victory in the sport, but opened up the current term with a victory in the Thailand Sprint race, and also managed to snag a pole position at the Catalan Grand Prix. A P2 finish in Buriram remains his best result in the longer format.
However, Acosta has already shown that he is world champion material, according to the reigning title-winner Marc Marquez, and the overriding feeling inside the MotoGP paddock is that a maiden victory for the young Spaniard is only a matter of time.
It is widely expected that Acosta will get his first chance at end-of-year silverware upon his arrival at Ducati, which isn’t yet confirmed, but one of the worst-kept secrets inside the premier class paddock.
F1 expert Davide Valsecchi compares Pedro Acosta to Max Verstappen
In a recent episode of the Chiacchiere da Box podcast with F1 expert Davide Valsecchi and former MotoGP star Marco Melandri, the former made a comparison between Acosta and the four-time single-seater world champion following his performance in Mugello.
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The Italian began by highlighting how unfortunate Acosta was to be punted out of the Catalan Grand Prix at the very final corner after leading the majority of the race from pole position, citing the young Murcia’s ‘attitude’ as a serious strong point.
“He ran into trouble towards the end and actually lost everything, even his podium place, because they took him out, but he came back the next race, as fierce as a hyena,” Valsecchi told Melandri. “I really like Acosta’s attitude; he reminds me of a young Verstappen.
“I mean, Verstappen spent years being considered a phenomenon, but then achieved very little. In those seasons, Mercedes were almost always first or second, often first with Hamilton, and really left few races for the others, yet Verstappen was always there.
“Every weekend he’d come back, destroy everything, and then the next weekend, bam, always at the front of the attack – I feel like I’m seeing a young Verstappen.
“Then Verstappen went on to win four world titles; I wish Acosta the same. I see a bit of that same extreme drive in him, and it’s entertaining to watch from the sidelines. Even if I’m not rooting for him, I have to say, blimey, he’s a real showman.”
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