Acosta (2nd) after an impressive podium comeback: “It’s been a long journey”

Saturday had taken its toll on Acosta when he took up the wrong starting position in the sprint, damaged his KTM RC16 and still managed to finish fourth. On Sunday, he didn’t repeat that mistake and put in a strong performance, which rewarded him with second place and his first podium finish since Balaton Park. A manoeuvre against Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) thrilled both fans and his team.

Strong start and an unusual overtaking manoeuvre

Starting from sixth on the grid, he initially overtook the Aprilia riders Jorge Martin and Raul Fernandez. As Alex Marquez (Ducati) also didn’t get through the first few corners ideally, Acosta made up three places on the first lap. He then settled in behind Marco Bezzecchi and Marc Marquez (Ducati), staying hot on their heels.

Pedro Acosta (KTM) vor Marco Bezzecchi

Foto: Gold and Goose

The key moment came on lap 5 on the one-kilometre-long back straight. Whilst Marquez and ‘Bez’ battled for the lead at nearly 350 km/h, giving each other no quarter, Acosta used their slipstream and spectacularly overtook the Aprilia rider on the outside.

This was followed by ten laps of neck-and-neck racing: at times, Marquez and Acosta were clocking identical lap times. The KTM rider was particularly strong in the downhill braking zone before Turn 14 – only to lose ground again by a few metres on the straight leading into Turn 16.

Acosta was unable to beat the King of Aragon, Marc Márquez

On laps 13 to 15, Marquez pulled out all the stops: three consecutive 1:46s, including two fastest laps in a row, gave him a slight lead over Acosta. The KTM ace was unable to respond, but kept Bezzecchi at a comfortable distance and crossed the line in second place, just under two seconds behind Marc Marquez. By way of comparison: KTM riders Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder finished in 8th and 10th place respectively, 23 seconds behind their team-mate Acosta.

After the race, what mattered most to Acosta was the run of results he had put an end to. He had been waiting for a podium finish since early June, and was determined to secure it in front of his home crowd. “I was happy to give it a go in front of the Spanish fans,” he said. “It looks as though we’re improving as the weekend goes on. It’s been a long road to get this podium. Now it’s time to enjoy it.”

Following a successful weekend at Aragon, where he scored a total of 26 points, Acosta is back in 6th place in the World Championship standings with 189 points. He also closed the gap slightly on championship leader Jorge Martin (256).