Pedro Acosta delivered one of his strongest MotoGP performances of the season at Aragon, finishing just four seconds behind the podium and seven seconds off the win. But despite being closer than ever to a top-three result, the KTM rider found little satisfaction in the outcome.
“It’s painful to see this number on the screen,” Acosta admitted, referencing the gap between himself and the Ducati front-runners.
After battling with third-place finisher Francesco Bagnaia during the early stages of the race, Acosta pointed out where KTM is still lagging behind: corner entry.
“These guys can release the brake and go 10kph faster than us, easy,” he said. “Then two-tenths [per lap] become many tenths by the end.”
Acosta opted for the hard-compound front tyre after struggling with front-end grip and locking on the medium compound during the Sprint. It proved to be the right decision.
“I was the only one on the grid with the hard tyre, and I was nervous. But I said, ‘We are lost already, we cannot be worse.’ After two laps, the tyre was fantastic—I’m super happy with my choice.”
Despite a positive showing through practice sessions and solid race pace, Acosta emphasized that the current level isn’t enough.
“We managed a really good weekend. I was consistently in the top five or six, which is good, but not good enough,” he said. “The pace was faster than the guys behind, but slower than the guys in front. We need to improve.”
