Pedro Acosta’s worrying verdict on major KTM issue after Valencia MotoGP practice

Pedro Acosta says the Ricardo Tormo circuit suits the KTM more than recent tracks, but admits “we are struggling” to manage tyre life still after practice at the MotoGP Valencia Grand Prix.

The KTM in the Spaniard’s hands has proven to be a quick motorcycle in recent rounds, after a brace of podiums in Portugal and Malaysia.

But a season-long issue with tyre preservation has continued to plague Pedro Acosta and KTM, with the Spaniard admitting after Friday at the Valencia Grand Prix that a fix hasn’t been found.

When asked about tyre life, Acosta, who topped Practice, said: “Hard. The problem is when you have Turn 3, Turn 8, Turn 9, Turn 13, Turn 14, everything in one minute, and it’s where you destroy the tyres.

“Our bike doesn’t turn so much. We try to turn on the rear, you overheat the tyres, and then it’s a snowball that you cannot control.

“For this, I was trying to be smooth, don’t go too sideways, don’t push a lot, be like in race mode.

“And, even like this, we are struggling. For this, we have to get better tomorrow.”

Acosta also noted that, despite topping Practice on Friday afternoon, he was “having a lot of problems making the time attack with the soft front, which was maybe unexpected”.

The Spaniard is chasing his maiden MotoGP victory, having amassed 20 total podiums since last season.

While posing his final chance to do so in 2025, many also view Valencia as a good opportunity for Acosta, given KTM’s past form at the circuit.

He doesn’t feel he comes into this weekend with any more tools to fight with, but believes the circuit suits the characteristics of the RC16 better than recent tracks.

“Maybe here we arrive in a better track for us,” he added.

“If you check the last couple of ones, we have this T2 in Indonesia that is super-fast, and our bike is not turning.

“Then we go to Phillip Island, where we destroy the tyres, and these long corners are not our favourite ones.

“Malaysia, you have these two long straights where you are burning the tyres.

“And then we arrive to Portugal and it looks like our bike was not as fast as Ducati or Aprilia in the last corner.

“Here, it looks like we have to stop the bike more and accelerate, and it’s another way to ride the bike.

“And it looks like our one is coming better, because I don’t lose the rear, everything is easier to understand.

“I know, more or less, where the tyres are and how to manage. We don’t have more tools, but we are working quite ok. We don’t really have to think about it.”