“Every day it’s a surprise”: Pedro Acosta hit by new KTM issues at Assen MotoGP

Pedro Acosta’s KTM reliability misery continued at the Assen MotoGP as the Spaniard suffered two technical problems on Saturday morning.

The Spaniard qualified eighth at Assen, but it came after what was reported by Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team manager Aki Ajo as a sensor problem that recurred in the same place.

The Saturday issues followed last weekend’s Czech Grand Prix (19–21 June) problems that culminated in a retirement from the race on Sunday on the final lap.

Despite the recurring reliability problems for the RC16, though, Acosta says that those he had on Saturday at Assen were ones he had not encountered before.

“Who knows,” Pedro Acosta asked rhetorically when asked if the issue is fixed.

“This is new, every day it's a surprise,” he added.

The Spanish rider, who was announced as a 2027 factory Ducati rider earlier this week, added that he needs to maintain trust in KTM to fix the problems.

“We still need to trust,” he said. “They have to check everything, because today somehow the first problem I remember was the throttle open when I was closing, and when it's about safety, it's another thing. 

“For this, they have to have an eye on it.”

The 22-year-old is also uninterested in apologies from KTM.

“I mean, a sorry will not solve [anything], you know,” he said.

“It will not help. When the problem is there and you know when it will come, it doesn't matter how sorry, you know. 

“I need that the problem becomes solved and doesn't happen again. This is what I need.”

The lack of laps in the morning resulted in a compromised Sprint, Acosta – who ran wide at turn seven in the early laps and dropped to 14th before recovering to ninth in the end – feeling he started the 13-lapper under-prepared.

“Not easy, more than anything because then you arrive to the Sprint race not prepared because you only make 10 laps, or maybe only six valid laps in the whole day,” he explained.

“You go with the same bike as [Friday], riding half-a-second faster – it's quite difficult to be prepared for the sprint.”

He added: “I mean, when you make no laps the whole day and you go with the bike from yesterday, it's quite easy to make mistakes like I do, you know. 

“Also quite difficult to go behind people, but more than anything because we were not prepared.”

Acosta has reiterated multiple times this year that the top-five is his target for the season, rather than podiums or wins. 

But he now feels KTM is “really far” from being able to achieve its objectives.

“At the moment we are really, really far from our targets,” he said when asked if he can finish in the top-five on Sunday.

“First of all, let's cross the fingers that the bike is running the whole race, and then let's see. 

“I think with a good start and a good first lap, like I was doing, it will be much easier. 

“But we need to somehow prepare the race in the warm-up. We are late already this weekend.”