Pedro Acosta’s MotoGP season: From “Lost the plot” to “riding beautifully” - Exclusive

KTM crew chief Paul Trevathan has given an insight into how Pedro Acosta transformed from “a dark place and angry at the world” to “riding beautifully” during the 2025 MotoGP campaign.

Arriving at the factory team with his sights set on fighting for the title, Acosta instead found himself mired in frustration as KTM’s winter financial crisis stalled development of the RC16.

While rivals moved forward, KTM lost their way and Acosta “lost the plot”, over-riding a bike that “couldn’t do” what he demanded.

But in the background, key pieces of the puzzle began falling into place - including a post-Qatar reset, arm pump surgery, new rider coach and Jerez test breakthrough.

All contributed towards a podium-less first half being turned into twelve rostrums and a steep rise to fourth in the world championship…

Crash.net:

It’s looked very much like a season of two halves for Pedro Acosta - difficult start, strong finish - what's it been like on the inside?

Paul Trevathan:

“I think how it looks from the outside is exactly what we feel on the inside. A lot of frustration - I think is the biggest word - at the beginning, where things were not going like we expected.

“There was a lot of emotions about where the company were, the [financial] situation. Nobody saw it coming. We tried the best we could at that time to do some development in the right way, try to get things going, but our hands were a bit tied.

“And Pedro had such high expectations of what he wanted to achieve this year. And then he just lost the plot, is the easiest way to put it. He couldn't understand. He didn't want to listen. He was just frustrated. Super, super frustrated.

“He still wanted to perform, so he just pushed the bike to limits that it couldn't do.

“Then we reset, we decided to change our approach. The season, basically for a championship, was already finished by then. 

"So we said, okay, let's try to find some consistency, try to be in the top five, be clean and do as well as possible.

“And to be honest, he's done fantastically at that.

“As a rider and as a human, I think he's improved so much. He understands the MotoGP bike a lot better. He understands perhaps what steps are needed to become a champion.

“He's taking the maximum out of the bike. He's pushing us like you wouldn't believe in the garage every session, every day. In the weeks [between races] it's constant, push, push, push.

“It's like we're having our own mini championship battle. I think that’s the way we've tried to [view] the last part of the year, to make us better for the future.

“So it's really turned around, as you see with the results, and he's riding beautifully.

“A dark place and angry at the world”

“To be honest, I'm really proud. To be in such a dark place and so angry at the world, and even himself, that he could then turn this around - it shows a lot of maturity and a lot of 'want'. 

"The kid’s want is on the next level!

“It's unbelievable how hard he's pushing himself and everyone else. And he's not a guy who points the finger inside the team. He keeps his emotions in check really, really well inside the box.

“He's never blamed us as a team. So that part's been really nice also.

“I just saw this super frustrated man at the beginning. And it was hard to calm the situation down, because I didn't have the answers either. So that was the tough part.”

Crash.net:

Acosta was competitive at the end of 2024. Did the bike go in the wrong direction at the start of 2025?

Paul Trevathan:

“I mean, at that time we couldn't really develop [due to KTM’s financial situation]. So we started the year with basically the bike from last year. And everyone else had made a step.

“We scratched and did everything we could to try to find a way. But maybe got a little bit lost and tried too hard, just trying to think, ‘OK, if we can do this, would it help with that?’

“I don't blame anyone. The engineers, honestly, had nothing to work with. We couldn't order anything. So this was the reality. And the guys worked so hard to try to think of ideas, little things… ‘maybe, maybe, maybe’.

“And then we kind of lost the way.

“With some of these little things, you don't see the dark side of them until you race, and then things change. And the bike was always a little bit different. Pedro got a little bit lost with that as well, so then we said, OK, let's reset.”

Crash.net:

At which point was that?

Paul Trevathan:

“I would say after Doha [round 4].

“Also, he had the arm pump problem at the beginning of the year. I would say we made a really good step after the Jerez test. We changed something on the bike that really helped calm everything down.

“Then he got the arm fixed and things started to get better step by step. He’s more of a stop-and-go guy and at flowing tracks where he has generally suffered, like Silverstone or Assen, he did much, much better.

“He also got some help from Carmelo Morales, who came in as a rider coach alongside Mika [Kallio]. Because Pedro always felt that he wanted two guys on track. The more eyes, the better.

“So this was something that he brought into the group as well. And he's working really, really well with these two guys. Each brings their own thing to him. So he listens to these guys also a lot.

“And he also started to really work on himself, fixing the little riding faults that he was maybe doing. Trying to make himself more rounded. And slowly, step by step, things got better and better and better. You build the momentum.

“Looking back, on paper, you say, ‘okay, that was only a fifth or a fourth place’. But they were a good fourth or fifth. And there are places where we could see that he was really improving his riding from last year [even before the podiums arrived].

“So there's been a lot going on in the background!”