Pedro Acosta: “I think there’s still a lot of nepotism in MotoGP”

Pedro Acosta Sanchez (Mazarrón, 19 years old) became the Moto2 World Champion in 2023, his second year of racing, and is currently He is preparing to land in the top category (MotoGP), but there there is a lot of “nepotism” for himTherefore, he claims, “I’m not here to make friends.”

He adds the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2020 and the 2021 Moto3 Championship to his record.Itself and the data that speaks for itself These invite comparisons with six-time MotoGP World Champion Marc Marquez.

”Especially in the first year of Moto2, I think the backpack didn’t suit me.. I had to do it well a year ago and I will try to make sure I don’t have to do it again,” he said in an interview with EFE.

The Murcian pilot from Puerto de Mazarrón underwent surgery in Barcelona last week to remove a nail from the femur of his left leg and is currently recovering. “We had a week off and we started training normally on Thursday and we started training in January” and will be going to Austria to prepare for the Malaysian test.

In an interview with EFE he said: Pedro Acosta talks about his feelings about MotoGP About bikes in Valencia, short-term goals and other issues.

Question: This is your second world title in three years and you have already been compared to Marc Marquez, what does that mean to you?

Answer: There are expectations from both the media and fans. In the end, I think the backpack didn’t suit me, especially during my first year in Moto2. I unpacked having to do it well a year ago, and I’m going to try to avoid having to do it again.

Q: Now that you have arrived in MotoGP, what are your expectations for this first season after the first test in Valencia?

A: I have no expectations. I think we have a long career and are at the ideal moment and the ideal factory to get significant results, but we need to relax and go step by step. Motorcycles are changing a lot and we have a lot to learn before we can be competitive, but I think we are at the right time. We have people like Pedrosa, a tester from our Austrian factory, and their experience will help us learn faster.

Q: What did Valencia think inside that “box”?

A: I didn’t think much about it, and I didn’t want to get my hopes up. I didn’t expect the bike to travel this much and managing buttons and electronics would be so important. We come from categories like Moto2 where you do 22 laps at full throttle, but you can’t do that in MotoGP.

The first day helped me get a clear idea for the winter and I think I should be satisfied on the day of the test. The bike is very good and competitive and the KTM project is very interesting.

Q: You won the title of Moto2 Champion in your third year at the World Championship, but was there ever a time when you felt like the title was in jeopardy?

A: I think we made a mistake at a critical time this year. In the end, I crashed at Le Mans (France) at the beginning of the year, and then I had three weeks off. I wanted to use the three weeks to think about what happened and cut points.

We got closer and closer and eventually it wasn’t just me, but the team too. Not every day is good, but the team also believed that they could win the World Cup…If they believed, there’s no way I couldn’t believe.

Q: Have you already decided on plans for next season?

A: KTM has projects beyond just motorcycles and racing. We will take a week off, start training normally on Thursday and then go to Austria in January to prepare for the Malaysian test. I’ll stay a little longer to prepare. I think it’s interesting that KTM is betting on so many types of bikes and most of all MotoGP riders.

Q: You said you didn’t come here to make friends, but do you have any respect for competing with guys like Pecco Bagnaia and Marc Marquez?

A: At the end of the day, I still think I didn’t come here to make friends, and I still think there are a lot of connections in MotoGP. These are not like the old fights between Rossi and Biaggi or tense press conferences and we have to realize that. We have a lot of great people with a lot of experience, so we have to take things in stride, but we want to work together as one.

Q: What are the positive outcomes for you at the end of the 2024 season?

A: I only rode the bike for one day. I’m going to sit back and take my time to learn, and I think that’s why I didn’t have a good result in my first year in Moto2.

First of all, I would like to calm down and learn from the basics. If we can do that, we will be competitive. No matter how hard you run, if you fall 20 times, you’ll lose a lot of time on the course. I think it will be useful in Moto GP.