Pedro Acosta: KTM technical issues? A rider “has to believe”
Pedro Acosta insists he cannot ride with doubts despite KTM's recent run of MotoGP technical problems.
Pedro Acosta insisted his impressive third place in Friday practice for the Dutch MotoGP was not a true reflection of KTM's current pace.
Eleventh in FP1, the Spaniard ended the day just 0.187s behind leader Marco Bezzecchi after setting his fastest lap during the one-lap restart following Alex Marquez's red-flag crash.
“It was not really on the limit, but we are not ready to fight for the top three at the moment. Somehow, we put the bike there, but it’s not our fight,” Pedro Acosta said.
“We have to try and make the bike more stable because at the moment it is quite tough to make 26 laps like this.”
He added: “It is more arriving into the fast corners. Turn 6 and Turn 14. The bike there shakes a lot.
“Already it was shaking last year, and somehow with the changes we made from last year to now, it is coming more normal these shakes.
“But today it was too much. Sometimes it was even difficult to go straight. The moment we improve this then we will make a bit step.”
The handling issues come on top of KTM's recent run of technical problems, including Acosta's double DNF at Brno last weekend.
Acosta fell after a ride-height device problem in the Czech Sprint, then ground to a halt while in fifth on the final lap of the grand prix.
“I don’t know if they have been solved or not. If you see me stop, you will understand that something went wrong again,” Acosta said.
“They are trying to understand what is going on. It is difficult to say. But time will [tell].”
"Not in my hands"
As he proved on Friday, Acosta is able to keep pushing hard.
“As I said in Brno, if we have a technical problem, then it is not in my hands. I cannot do anything. What is the solution: go slower? If this is the solution, then it is better to not jump on the bike and don’t compete.”
Asked if he still had full trust in the bike, Acosta replied:
“When you are a rider, you have no chances [choice]. You have to believe. You are the one that is on [the bike] and the one that will get hurt if something happens. For this, you have to believe.”
Enea Bastianini was the next-best KTM rider in eighth.
In this article
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.
