MotoGP: Acosta targets maiden victory as KTM hangs on to its presence in MotoGP
Ahead of his second season in MotoGP, Pedro Acosta targets his maiden MotoGP victory as he is set to make the step up from the GasGas outfit to the factory KTM team,
Pedro Acosta is confident that he can build on his impressive rookie MotoGP World Championship season last year and challenge for the 2025 title with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing teammate Brad Binder as he makes the step up to being a full-time factory rider.
The Spanish rider finished sixth in the 2024 standings, just two points behind South African Binder, after five impressive podium places, one pole position and two fastest laps for Red Bull GasGas Tech3 saw him crowned Rookie of the Year to add to his 2021 Moto3 world title and 2023 Moto2 world title.
This time around, the 20-year-old from Mazarrón believes that he can break through and claim his maiden MotoGP victory as a full-time factory rider for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
Despite the financial difficulties in recent months, KTM aims to compete with two teams and four riders in 2025. Acosta will team up with Brad Binder while Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales will race for the Red Bull KTM Tech3 outfit.
The new MotoGP season which will start with the Thai Grand Prix on March 2 will see four Red Bull liveried KTMs return to the MotoGP field for the first time since 2020.
KTM Motorsports Director Pit Beirer revealed, "With Brad, Pedro, Enea and Maverick as well as all the experience and knowledge in the pitboxes there is a lot of positivity and adrenaline to get started. This season could be massive for us, and I hope it will be."
Asked about his sentiments ahead of his first season in MotoGP as a full-time factory rider, Acosta replied: "Super proud – it is a dream come true. We need to remember that I was racing in orange since I was 14 in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup.
"It was not easy to see myself racing in red for one full year, but I learned a lot from last season and now I feel a lot more prepared to race again in orange."
"To be honest, I have to say I was feeling like a 'factory guy' even when I was in the satellite team because KTM was really helping me to feel like that but it is true that I'm super happy to have the best group of people that I've had throughout my career around me."
Acosta has revealed that he has clear targets for the upcoming season, highlighting key areas in which he intends to improve in his second year in MotoGP.
"For sure we need to improve a lot, for example the qualifying results and the first laps of the races then we can see if we have the pace and potential to fight for victories and podium positions. Maybe starting a little bit more in the front could help me to fight for those podiums."
"There have been many moments when we were prepared to make the first win or podium, but lost it. This year I aim to prepare harder mentally, to be clear and honest with myself where the mistakes are made and how to not make them again. The fact is that we have the potential for more."
