Pedro Acosta's Sprint podium: “We need to enjoy, don’t think too much”
Pedro Acosta says he is focused on “enjoying the moment” after securing another MotoGP podium in the Austrian Sprint at Red Bull Ring.
Pedro Acosta proved Brno wasn’t just a flash in the pan by extending his MotoGP podium streak to three in a row in Saturday's Austrian Sprint.
Benefitting from enhanced turning with the new KTM fairing, Acosta had battled for pole position earlier in the day, until a big front end slid at the final corner.
That left him seventh on the grid, but the young Spaniard recovered to fourth by the end of the opening lap, then passed Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi.
Only the Marquez brothers were now ahead. Acosta initially kept pace with the Ducati riders before spending the closing laps holding Bezzecchi at bay.
“I'm really enjoying this moment,” Acosta told MotoGP.com. “It was a really tough beginning of the season for us. And now that the upgrades and the results are coming, we just need to enjoy, don't think too much.
“Now we find this consistency, also this confidence, that maybe was missing a bit.”
Acosta was also 17 seconds faster than a year ago, when he finished the Sprint in tenth.
“We managed the race in the best way. It was long, but much better than last year - I remember last year I was suffering even to be in the top 10.
“For this, I am happy with the work that the team is doing.”
Acosta took the chequered flag 3.126s behind race winner Marc Marquez and two seconds from the Gresini machine of Alex.
Might a better starting position have made the difference?
“We have to recognise that Marc and Alex have a step compared to the rest.
“We need to be happy with the result we take. We only have to see how bad we was at beginning of the season. For this, let's enjoy the result.”
Meanwhile, another strong result in the grand prix could depend on the start.
“In the last couple of races, we are making really good starts. Let's try to make a good plan. Let's try to match the red light with the clutch lever and enjoy.”
Acosta is now just five points behind Franco Morbidelli for sixth in the MotoGP world championship standings.
Team-mate Brad Binder was the next best RC16 rider on Saturday, in fifth.
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Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
