The Pedro Acosta trait "great riders do" that stunned his KTM crew chief

Pedro Acosta’s KTM crew chief Paul Trevathan says it is a “scary question” to predict how much further the young Spaniard can improve.

Speaking after Acosta’s long-awaited maiden MotoGP victory at the Red Bull Ring, Trevathan revealed his rider is still making significant steps, including another jump during the summer break.

Acosta began the season with a Sprint victory and early world championship lead, before KTM’s reliability problems were compounded by lost performance from faulty engine parts.

He dropped as low as seventh in the standings after scoring just three points from a possible 74 between Balaton Park and the German Grand Prix.

Despite already securing a factory Ducati contract for 2027, Acosta continued pushing KTM and delivered what he considered one of the best rides of his career after the summer break at Silverstone.

With KTM’s engine problem resolved, full performance returned from Aragon, where Acosta began a podium run that ultimately led to his breakthrough victory in Austria.

"It's unbelievable"

Asked by MotoGP.com how much room for improvement 22-year-old Acosta still has, Trevathan replied:

“It's a scary question, because at the moment I couldn't tell you.

“The way the guy is learning, the way the guy is stepping up, I mean, he had a month off in the summer, and he came back again [at] another level.

“He can put something in his subconscious mind that always brings something new to the game.

“I've seen great riders do this, but they normally take a winter.

“But to do a reset like he did in the summer, and then come back and ride and push us in the way he pushed us to make things better, it's unbelievable.

“So I can't answer your question, but I tell you, he's still going [upwards].”

Acosta starts this weekend’s Japanese MotoGP fourth in the world championship, 72 behind leader Jorge Martin.