MotoGP | Acosta: “I won't break the record of youngest Marc winner”

KTM protégé Pedro Acosta is considered by many to be one of the most talented riders of recent years, and this leads to a comparison with Marc Marquez and the success the latter had at the beginning of his MotoGP career. Then an official Honda rider, Marc took victory in only his second race in the premier class, in 2013. Thus, he became the youngest rider in the history of the category to win a race, at the age of 20 years and 63 days.

Acosta begins his rookie season at the age of 19 and will have until the seventh race of the season (at the Sachsenring) to overtake Marquez, thus beating one of his most famous compatriots. However, the young Spaniard believes that it is not possible to win a race so soon. Furthermore, he believes that it is impossible to win immediately in the current MotoGP, given the changes that the category has had in the last 11 years.

When asked if he expects to beat Marquez's record, Acosta replied: “Well, I don't think so. It's a different MotoGP era, the bikes have changed a lot. I did many laps in the tests, but in the race I was never in a group, I didn't try to stay with many bikes. I think it will be tough, everyone's expectations are positive, but not at all. The moments in our careers are different, there's no need to think about it.”

However, Marquez highlighted the speed that Acosta has shown in recent years and believes that there is no doubt that he can beat some of his records in his first season in MotoGP: “He has shown that he has great talent, in Moto3, in Moto2 , but also in the first tests in Sepang and here in Qatar. When you have that much talent, you get on the bike and go fast straight away. Many rookies have achieved podiums and victories in the past, this means that he can beat some of my records and will be part of the future of MotoGP.”

Acosta had signed with KTM while still in the middle of his first year in Moto3, in 2021, and this led to a further spotlight on him when he was racing in the lower classes of MotoGP. The anticipation generated around the Spaniard grew when he won Moto3 at the first attempt, increasing the pressure to move up to Moto2 in 2022. He spent two years in the intermediate class with the Ajo team, winning the title last year with a race earlier than the end of the season.

The GasGas rider believes that the jump from Moto3 to Moto2 in 2022 was harder than the challenge he faces now, simply because he felt weighed down by the expectations that had been created for him: “The change from Moto3 to Moto2 is It was great, also because the media was very tough on me. It was no longer a question of the change of category, but of the change of media. There were a lot of expectations, but it was the first season and everyone expected me to win the championship. The year before in Moto3 everyone expected that I would move directly to MotoGP. Maybe the media was too harsh for me, now I'm a little older, I have more experience with these things.”