Motorsports
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.
Source: Mundo Deportivo
I am a writer at Sportish, where I mainly cover sports news. I’ve also written for The Guardian and ESPN Brasil, and my work has been featured on NBC Sports, SI.com and more. Before working in journalism, I was an athlete: I played football for Colgate University and competed in the US Open Cross Country Championships.
Motorsports
F1 champion: “McLaren trusts both. But the champion is treated differently.”
Reigning Formula 1 world champion Lando Norris has been warned by his championship mate about the expectations his new status at McLaren will bring.
After his 2025 championship, Norris will start the 2026 season as world champion. The British driver will be the first McLaren driver to try to defend his title since Lewis Hamilton.
Damon Hill, who won the 1996 championship, recalled the mounting pressure. According to him, champion authority does not always mean a real advantage within the team.
“I think the team has confidence in both drivers (Norris and Piastri). But when you become world champion, you are automatically treated differently; there is additional authority,” Hill explained.
“When I moved from Williams to Arrows, the team said: ‘We have a world champion.’ They thought I knew something special. But that authority is sometimes exaggerated. I didn’t know everything and I certainly didn’t know how to design cars.”
Hill emphasized that the true power of a champion lies not in technical knowledge but in leadership and team interaction.
“I worked with experts like Patrick Head and Adrian Newey; they were the ones who knew where to go. And the driver’s role is to be a leader and inspire the team,” Hill concluded.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Motorsports
Bondarev in the Formula 4 BAE4 race. Watch LIVE online
On January 18, at 12:20, the last third race of the first stage of the Formula 4 Middle East (UAE4) season will be held at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, in which Ukrainian pilot Alexander Bondarev will participate.
Bondarev became the first Ukrainian representative to receive support from the youth program of the Williams Formula 1 team. This is his second full season of open wheel racing.
The previous day, Alexander won the first race of the stage, starting from pole position. He started the race from 12th place according to reverse grid rules and finished the second race in sixth place.
In the final race of the stage, the Ukrainian starts from third place – according to the results of the second qualifying, he lost pole position by only 0.025 seconds.
The standings before the third race are as follows:
Bondarev in the Formula 4 BAE4 race. Watch LIVE online
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
Motorsports
McLaren started the engine of its 2026 vehicle for the first time. The team is hopeful of the championship
According to The Race, world champion McLaren made the debut of its new MCL40 vehicle for the 2026 Formula 1 season.
With less than a week to go until the first pre-season test in Barcelona, the team rolled out the car for the first time at the Woking factory. Team boss Andrea Stella personally supervised this important stage of preparation, while McLaren engineers and engine supplier Mercedes checked all the car’s systems.
Last year McLaren won a double title: the constructors’ title and Lando Norris’ first individual title. This season, the team had to simultaneously prepare the car for the new rules, without losing momentum in the championship fight.
Although the car is already ready for testing, it is not yet known when the public will see it. The official presentation is scheduled for February 9 in Bahrain, two days before public testing begins.
Meanwhile, McLaren will conduct private testing in Barcelona between January 26-30. Teams will be able to use three out of five test days.
Stella is confident that the team has retained the depth of its squad and is ready to remain among the leaders even after the big rule change in 2026.
Source: Sport UA
Ruth Waterhouse is an author and sports journalist who writes for Sportish. She is known for her coverage of various sports events and her insightful analysis of sports-related news. With a passion for sports and a keen eye for detail, she has become a respected voice in the sports community.
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