Just after the summer break and before getting back on the bike at Silverstone – where he finished fifth – Pedro Acosta visited the Motorsport.com studio for an in-depth conversation about what will be his final season as KTM’s leading rider in MotoGP. Next year, he will wear red and his benchmark will be Marc Marquez, who is already waiting for him.
Motorsport.com: You went to the United States during the summer break. Were you able to switch off from the tension of the first half of the season?
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Pedro Acosta: These were the first proper holidays I’ve ever taken in my life. The first part of the year was pretty tough, with all the technical problems we had. So I said, “Right, I’m going to the United States and I’m going to try to enjoy myself with some friends.” I also went to a NASCAR race, which was one of the things on my bucket list. I really enjoyed it; normally, whenever I go to that part of the world, I have a great time. It was really good.
MS: Do you consider yourself a successful person?
PA: I don’t consider myself successful at all. Look, it’s true that I achieved a lot at the beginning of my career. I won the Moto3 title pretty quickly and then the Moto2 title. Everything happened too fast, and by my fourth season in the World Championship I was already in MotoGP, racing against the best. So, in that sense, yes, I was successful, and very quickly. But on the other hand, I’m still missing the thing I’ve wanted all my life, which is to win in MotoGP. We’re on the right path.
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MS: Unlike other athletes of your generation, who love showing off the toys or material things that success brings them, there isn’t a picture of you with a supercar or on the deck of a yacht. Is that a question of privacy or lifestyle?
PA: I like showing people who I really am. It’s easy to get carried away, and I like to think my feet are still firmly on the ground. At home, nobody gives me the chance to let that happen and start flying. Although it’s true that I have my little luxuries: last year I bought a motorhome, and now I spend a lot of time driving around and sleeping by lakes and things like that. Maybe that’s my kind of luxury.
With my first salary, I bought a van to go training, but I used to sleep in the seats until one day in Barcelona I nearly froze to death. That’s when I said, “Right, maybe it’s time to spend a bit more and buy something a little more sophisticated.”
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Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
MS: After six seasons linked to KTM, you have decided to leave the Austrian manufacturer at the end of the year. Are you at peace with the brand?
PA: Not completely. I think KTM has given everything it had at every stage of my career and at every stage of our relationship. But I’ve reached a point where I need a new challenge. I don’t want this to sound arrogant, but since I arrived in MotoGP I’ve been the first KTM on the grid. Maybe I need a new challenge or something that gives me a bit of a spark again.
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KTM gave me the opportunity to win the Moto3 championship and all the tools I needed to try to win in Moto2. If the prospect of building a competitive bike had been closer, maybe I would have stayed. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.
MS: So you ran out of patience?
PA: Probably, yes. I’ve believed in this project for three years, and I’ve given it one opportunity after another. But I think I can go further, and that’s why I decided to leave.
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MS: The people around you emphasise that you live solely to win, but you still haven’t managed to do it in MotoGP. How do you deal with that frustration?
PA: Last year it wasn’t easy to deal with. Mainly because I kept thinking that if I wasn’t winning, it was my fault. And when you believe something is your responsibility, it’s even harder to get rid of that stress.
The person who helped me most to understand that the problem probably wasn’t me, was Carmelo Morales, my trainer. He has a different perspective on racing, and that was key to understanding that there was a clear limitation. The problem was that I was asking the bike for much more than it was capable of giving, and every time I did that I ended up on the floor. It’s not really my style, but at some point I had to start thinking about it and say, “Right, a top five isn’t that bad. And when we’re competitive, we’ll be able to fight for a podium.”
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Mainly for that reason, I’ve been much more competitive this year. Even with the problems we had in the first part of the season, I was usually close to the top three.
Watch: Full Interview: Pedro Acosta Speaks About His Future
MS: Your MotoGP debut came with huge media attention and constant comparisons with Marc Marquez. Did that pressure ever affect you?
PA: I don’t think it affected me. I’m not someone who reads too much about myself, and I have people around me who are very honest and tell me things to my face. Those expectations have been there from day one; in Moto3 they were already comparing me with Marc. I think I made a huge step in maturity from Moto2 to MotoGP. In my first year in Moto2 I wanted to achieve everything too quickly, but I lacked maturity. In my first Moto2 season I already had winning the title in my head. In Moto3, by contrast, I was simply thinking about accumulating points. In MotoGP I’ve learned to manage expectations differently.
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MS: Next season you will join Ducati’s factory team, which is the benchmark. There will be no excuses there.
PA: Honestly, I’m quite happy about that. Right now, I have a lot of questions about how it will go. I’m not someone who normally points the finger at other people to make it clear that something isn’t my fault. Maybe next year that will happen, there won’t be any excuses, and if things don’t go well it will be my fault. That makes me very happy. I’m a very direct guy, even with myself, and I think this will only bring positive things to my career.
MS: You will share a garage with Marquez, who has dominated all of his team-mates, what makes you think you can break that pattern?
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PA: I have no idea what I’m going to find in that garage, but I don’t feel any pressure. Marc is in the final stage of his career and I’m just starting mine. He knows everyone at the factory and I will need time to adapt to a completely Italian garage after six years at KTM. I’m facing a completely new chapter, so I don’t feel any pressure. Luckily, I’ll be there for at least two years, so I’ll have time to get up to speed in the first one and see what happens in the second.
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
MS: How do you imagine your arrival at Ducati? Don’t you think there are similarities between your move there alongside Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo‘s arrival at Yamaha in 2008, when Valentino Rossi was in charge?
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PA: It could be, although I’d never thought about it that way.
I’m very grateful to Ducati for allowing me to be part of its project, despite the fact that I haven’t won a MotoGP race yet. At the time, Lorenzo was the dominant rider in 250cc, whereas I’ve already spent three years in MotoGP. I have no expectations; I just want to arrive on the Tuesday after Valencia and see what I can do.
MS: Has your perception of Marquez changed after racing against him and battling with him on track?
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PA: Not much, to be honest. What has impressed me most about Marc is everything he has had to go through to regain his championship crown. We’re talking about a rider who spent more than a decade at the biggest factory in the world, winning a huge number of titles. The amount he suffered without actually needing to — because he had nothing left to prove — shows a capacity for suffering that we hadn’t seen from him before. The mental strength he showed to come back after so many injuries is what impresses me most about him.
MS: In a championship where cordiality between riders tends to prevail, you have always kept your distance from that atmosphere of good feeling. Do you feel like the black sheep of the family?
PA: Maybe. Or perhaps I’m the guy who doesn’t follow the prevailing trend. I understand that most riders are close to one another and that you can have a conversation with any of them. But we’re all here chasing the same dream, and it’s very difficult to have a sincere relationship with someone who wants exactly the same thing as you. To fulfil his dream, that rival would be capable of killing anyone — at least in sporting terms. And if I can’t be sincere with you, I’d rather take a step back and keep a certain distance.
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MS: I get the feeling that the good atmosphere in the paddock favours riders with a certain type of character, while penalising others who are perhaps less aggressive.
PA: It can happen. I’ve never had friends in the paddock, and I’m glad that’s the case because, that way, I don’t have any qualms about overtaking anyone. In the past, the big rivalries — Rossi-Biaggi, Crivilla-Doohan, Rossi-Marquez — weren’t easy relationships. Maybe that’s the spicy ingredient MotoGP is missing right now.
MS: What did you feel in the moments after the accident you had with Alex Marquez in Montmelo?
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PA: Nothing good, to be honest. In these kinds of situations, when your adrenaline levels are so high, you don’t think very clearly. I’d never been involved in an accident like that before. Even after the race, it was difficult for me to remember exactly what had happened; I had forgotten some parts of it.
MS: Do you still have gaps in your memory of what happened?
PA: Now I’m very clear about what happened. We know the risks involved in what we do, but restarting the race twice probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, because afterwards there was the accident involving [Johann] Zarco, [Francesco] Pecco [Bagnaia] and other riders. We have to concentrate a lot of the time, and it’s very easy to lose focus after two red flags. Sometimes riders don’t think clearly or make the right decision. It’s true that the show always has to go on, but without riders there is no show.
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Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, Marc Marquez, Ducati Team
MS: Very few riders have admitted to feeling fear on a motorcycle. Is there anything that scares you away from the track?
PA: Lots of things. Big insects really scare me. On track, I have to say I’ve never felt fear. When you’ve been racing since you were a kid, riding a motorcycle is something natural.
MS: Not even when you see that you’re about to crash?
PA: No, because you have it built into you that it’s part of the game. I’ve had big crashes, but I never doubted getting back on the bike the next day. It’s part of the game and it’s what I’ve wanted all my life.
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MS: Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio will make the opposite move to you: they’ll get off a Ducati and onto a KTM. Is there anything they should know?
PA: I’d rather they discovered it for themselves. They’ll be working with incredible people. In my first three years in MotoGP I was lucky enough to work with people like Dani Pedrosa. Having the opportunity to talk to a legend like him helped me in certain areas, such as tyre management. KTM is growing again, and Alex and Diggia will have a good time.
MS: And what will you miss most about KTM?
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PA: The human relationships I’ve built over all these years. In the lower categories, even though we were under the umbrella of Ajo Motorsport, it was KTM’s factory team. I’ll miss the people, but I’m going to a garage that has worked with many champions, and I think it will be fun discovering a new world.
MS: Do you follow what happens in Formula 1?
PA: Not much, to be honest. I support [Max] Verstappen and [Oscar] Piastri, who I know personally. I really like his character and the way he sees racing.
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MS: What do you make of the transformation of the MotoGP World Championship and its tendency towards an event style similar to Formula 1?
PA: It seems that the fans are enjoying it. We riders now take part in many more social events with fans, but if that helps the sport grow, then that’s exactly what we needed. I remember that in Spain, 10 or 12 years ago, you could walk into a bar on a Sunday morning and they would have MotoGP on the TV. Now it’s harder to see that happen. If these initiatives help MotoGP grow again in Spain, in Europe and around the world, I think it’s great.
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