Pedro Acosta’s name has quickly become a staple in MotoGP. At Red Bull GasGas Tech3, he has swiftly established himself as a podium contender in his debut season, astonishing many with his talent and unique riding style. Pol Espargaró is convinced of the young rider’s exceptional abilities, currently holding fifth place in the World Championship.
On the podcast Por Orejas, KTM’s test rider highlighted that Acosta’s trajectory is extraordinary and unlikely to be replicated soon:
‘We need to realize that what Pedro is achieving is not normal or natural. He’s not just another rider who moves up a category, shows talent, and gets results.
We likely won’t witness this again at KTM in the near future – or in MotoGP overall, unless a rider comes up on an official Ducati, which currently holds a significant advantage over other manufacturers.’
Espargaró continued to praise Acosta: “Pedro is, in intellectual terms, a genius. What he does is impossible to replicate. I saw it in Malaysia during the shakedown; I observed how he transferred the bike’s weight, how he braked—these are skills that cannot be learned.
Throughout my career, I started without wings on the bikes; things evolved, riding systems changed, and you notice barriers you can’t overcome, no matter the talent, effort, or evolving methods. Pedro has demonstrated a riding methodology that simply cannot be copied.”
Pol firmly believes that even other KTM riders won’t be able to replicate what Acosta is doing: “I agree with Jack [Miller]: no matter how much Brad [Binder], Jack, or any other rider for the manufacturer tries to emulate Pedro, it’s impossible. They won’t succeed because Pedro has a very unique way of riding, a completely unique way of turning the bike with his body, a style I’ve never seen before.”
Espargaró went on to compare Acosta to some of MotoGP’s legends: “I highly value what he is doing because, for example, we saw Marc Márquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, and Valentino Rossi move up to the premier class. they were very good riders, but the competition level wasn’t what it is now.
When they moved up, there were only four bikes capable of fighting for the title. I know because I was there and saw that those bikes had significant advantages over the others.
The difference was enormous. Right now, all the bikes have the potential to win. What Pedro is doing should be highly valued.
First, because he doesn’t have a Ducati. Unfortunately, KTM isn’t at Ducati’s level yet, but it will be, and Pedro is achieving impeccable results in the meantime.”
