Pedro Acosta has shown maturity in his second MotoGP season, but the long-awaited victory has yet to come—according to KTM test rider Pol Espargaro, the technology is holding him back.
Pedro Acosta is widely regarded as one of the top riders of the 2025 MotoGP season, but the Spaniard has yet to secure a victory. KTM test rider Pol Espargaro sees this as less of a talent issue and more of a technical one.
Espargaro is convinced that the 21-year-old could already be fighting for victories with a more competitive motorcycle. “It’s painful to watch,” he admits. “It’s nice to see that he’s consistent, but it hurts to see that he consistently finishes outside the podium places. He’s much faster than that.”
Acosta has improved steadily over the course of the season. After self-critically referring to “too many mistakes” at the beginning of the year, he is now showing more consistency. In the last three Grands Prix, he has consistently finished in the top 5, taking second place twice, most recently behind Alex Marquez in Sepang.
The KTM rider is currently fifth in the overall standings and has collected almost twice as many points as his teammate Brad Binder, the next best KTM rider.
Despite this strong record, however, he has yet to claim his maiden victory—a point that critics repeatedly bring up. Espargaro, who has been closely following Acosta’s development as a KTM test rider, clearly sees the reason for this in the equipment.
Espargaro: “He would win on a different bike”
“He would win races on a different motorcycle, but we can’t deliver that performance with our bike at the moment,” explains the 33-year-old.
He expressly praises Acosta’s development as a rider: “He rides really well. In qualifying, he rode a 1:57.3. While trying to top that, he crashed. My ideal lap time would have been 1:57.6, and I’m pretty fast on one lap here in Sepang. So he was three to four tenths faster than me.”
Despite Acosta’s sheer speed, however, it is not currently enough for regular podium finishes, which visibly frustrates Espargaro: “He is very fast, and it hurts to see that he is not on the podium in every race with this speed.”
“But we’ll try to make the bike faster, at least for next year, so we can see him shine more often,” the KTM test rider looks ahead.
So while KTM continues to struggle to catch up, two new names on the podium made headlines this season: Fermin Aldeguer won in Indonesia, and Raul Fernandez celebrated his first MotoGP victory in Australia. Aldeguer is still a rookie in the premier class, while Fernandez is already in his fourth season. However, both are riding bikes that are currently more competitive than the RC16.
Acosta: “I’m riding at my highest level right now”
Acosta himself is calm about the recent successes of his compatriots: “It is what it is. At the end of the day, that’s what I want too—to be a first-time winner,” he said after the race in Sepang, where he finished second for the third time this season.
The Spaniard is convinced that he is currently riding at his sporting peak: “I’m currently riding at my highest level. You can see that I’m no longer making silly mistakes and I’m not losing concentration at important moments. I’m always in the top 5. Now I’m finding that consistency.”
At the same time, the 21-year-old knows where the shortcomings lie. “In the pits, we know what we’re missing. We need something that gives us a little more power. We know that Ducati is still number one. Aprilia is now the second-best manufacturer in the championship and Honda is pushing to come back.“
”Now the factory has to take a step forward. We’re not far off, but the problem is that we’re missing a lot at crucial moments,” explains KTM’s spearhead.
Nevertheless, he sees the current phase as an important learning process: “Now is my moment to become a better rider. It’s my time to be more precise in everything. I have to be fast. I’m gaining more experience because I’m trying out a lot of new things. I’m just testing everything I have available.”
