Pedro Acosta arrives this year in MotoGP by joining Red Bull GasGas Tech3. He took the place of Pol Espargaró who, despite being left without a spot in the lineup, remains happy and even surprised by the younger Spanish compatriot.
Asked by the newspaper Marca if he expects the rookie to win quickly, the veteran said: ‘I think so. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a rider with so much talent debut in MotoGP. I saw him in Malaysia and maybe in Malaysia it was a bit more real than in other places because he had three more days of testing than the others, and when the others arrived he already had some experience on this circuit, but that experience is what he won’t have especially in the first races outside of Europe, where they have ridden less, and he will have it when we get to Europe, in Jerez for example. So, I think the first races will be a bit of learning above all, understanding the new schedule, the Sprint races on Saturdays, the morning qualifying, it’s a lot of intensity‘.
And where did Acosta surprise the most? Espargaró replied: ‘Above all in the adaptation he had. I was very surprised by his maturity despite how young he is. MotoGP is very different from Moto2. It changes a lot: the electronics, all the devices he has to lower the bike on acceleration, how he has to adapt to the power, to the carbon brakes, to the new tires, and he showed a lot of maturity in adapting to all of that. […] There are many Moto2 riders who arrive and have a lot of difficulties when they mount the new tire because you have to ride differently than with the used tire that you are more used to. He did that at the moment and in the fast laps we saw that. The maturity with which he faces these changes is impressive to me‘.
