Marco Bezzecchi
Neil Hodgson has revealed a conversation he had with Pedro Acosta’s KTM crew chief, Paul Trevathan, in which the engineers detailed exactly where the Murcian rider’s data stands out against teammate Brad Binder.
While Pedro Acosta has been running among the frontrunners during the 2026 MotoGP campaign, the rest of KTM’s stable haven’t enjoyed as impressive a season atop identical machinery.
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During pre-season, Tech3’s Enea Bastianini urged KTM to look beyond prioritising Acosta during development. It is unclear as to whether Mattighofen took the advice on board, but the Spaniard has continued to excel either way.
One of the most telling statistics from the factory KTM team is the fact that Brad Binder has never managed to outqualify Acosta over the 18 months they have spent as teammates up until this point.
As such, MotoGP pundit Neil Hodgson asked Acosta’s crew chief for his secrets, and it turns out that the 21-year-old’s superiority comes down to a simple reason.
Neil Hodgson shares why Pedro Acosta remains superior to Brad Binder at KTM
During a recent episode of the Gas It Out podcast, Hodgson praised Acosta for his fiery scrap with Marc Marquez during the Hungarian Grand Prix.
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Of course, Marquez reigned victorious in that instance, but the former premier class competitor couldn’t help but be taken aback by Acosta’s prowess on two wheels.
“We saw Pedro and Marc during the race, during the sprint race, mid-race,” he told co-hosts Gavin Emmett and Sylvain Guintoli. “We analysed a few laps, and when you put the ghost in, you can see exactly where Pedro gains.
“My god, that man can stop a MotoGP bike. He can brake later and hold a tighter line than anyone else, it’s such a skill. “I spoke to his crew chief, Paul Trevathan, who’s a lovely man. I mean, he’s turning into like one of the best guys to interview.
“He’s super articulate, obviously a very experienced guy, been around forever, but he’s also one of the rare people you speak to in the paddock, team manager or crew chief, that is really honest, quite clear, and tells you what’s going on.”
“I asked him about when he’s looking at Pedro’s data compared to the other KTM riders, what is his skill? He said he just has the ability to get the bike stopped so well, also he’s really good on the slippery tracks, tight, twisty tracks.”
Despite the kind words, Hodgson explained why, ultimately, Acosta will find it extremely difficult to put up a championship challenge with KTM this year.
He finished with, “He’s really good at it because that’s what he does a lot when he’s training. But unfortunately, I don’t think he’s got a title challenge in him because he’s handcuffed on that KTM, and at some tracks he won’t be able to make the difference.”
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