MotoGP | Acosta still on the podium: “This is how I avoided the humidity!”

Pedro Acosta takes home a second place in the Sprint of the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix staged this afternoon at the Angel Nieto in Jerez de la Frontera and does so in an inconspicuous manner. This, however, does not mean that the Spaniard from GasGas had yet another noteworthy race.

After a qualification below expectations, the Spanish rookie put together yet another solid, fast and intelligent race which confirms how much talent he has both from a driving and mental point of view, race management and situations, despite having just a few races under his belt in the premier class of the MotoGP.

From lap 9 onwards, the Jerez Sprint turned into an elimination race involving most of the best on the grid. Only Acosta and the winner Jorge Martin – among those in the high rankings – escaped unscathed.

We are therefore talking about the leader of the World Championship and the driver who is most impressive at this start of the season, namely Pedro himself, capable of reading situations, improving what was not good in qualifying to achieve an unexpected result at least until the traffic lights went out of the short race.

“In the end we knew we didn't have the pace and it was hard to start from tenth place after qualifying. We started well, I made some overtakes and it was nice. Then in the conditions the track was in, with a wet patch between corners 5 and turn 6, it wasn't easy not to lose the rear.”

“I almost risked falling too when I was behind Bastianini, but in the end I just went a little wide. We were getting closer and closer and being second in the World Championship honestly doesn't matter.”

At the end of the Sprint, Acosta recounted how he managed to avoid crashing in turn 5, where, on lap 9, Alex Marquez, Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini all crashed within the space of a few tenths of a second.

“It was a bit difficult, because in Turns 5, 8 and 9 there were some wet patches. But between turns 8 and 9 you could see it because the track is flatter. In Turn 5 however, which is not flat , it was much more difficult to see, I was lucky, because when Bastianini passed me I went a little long and managed to see it, then avoiding falling when the others fell.”

What makes Acosta satisfied is not the second position in the World Championship achieved also thanks to the fall that involved Bastianini, but the ability to improve the bike and his riding in a short time, putting an end to a qualification that was below expectations.

“I especially liked how we managed to manage a qualifying that went badly. It was very nice because we started very well, in the first lap I then overtook Morbidelli and Di Giannantonio. I feel that we are arriving at the front, even if the Sprint is not exactly my specialty.”

“With little fuel I lack a bit of feeling, while with the heavier tank I feel much more comfortable when we do the long race. Also because I've always driven like this all my life”.

If Sprint is still one of the Achilles heels of the Iberian talent, Acosta has higher expectations regarding tomorrow's race. His feeling with the bike is much better with a full tank and harder tyres, so it shouldn't be a surprise if we see him back at the top of the rankings again tomorrow.

“I think today was a strange situation with the track having mixed conditions. But in the end it's important for us to gain experience in the Sprint to then be more ready for the normal race. As I was saying, I'm more used to racing with a lot of fuel in the tank , with a harder tire and a stiffer set-up. Let's see what we can do for tomorrow.”