Acosta on the Bagnaia crash: “MotoGP hasn’t seen a crash like that in a long time”

Pedro Acosta travelled to Lusail as one of four remaining title contenders, but Friday proved to be a tough day. The KTM factory rider had to start from 14th place in Q1, where he finished second to qualify for the crucial Q2 after all. There, he was hampered once again by a technical problem, ultimately securing 8th on the grid. “Q1 didn’t go particularly well, but it wasn’t a disaster either. In Q2, things were going well until a technical problem cropped up,” Acosta summed up.

A blessing in disguise following the Aldeguer–Bagnaia crash

The 22-year-old got off to a perfect start; by lap 2, he was already putting pressure on Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) in the battle for fifth place. In the final corner , Fermin Aldeguer (Gresini-Ducati) shot past Acosta on the inside and took out Bagnaia. Acosta was spared, and the sprint race was abandoned. “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a crash like that in MotoGP. I hope Pecco is all right,” said Acosta, sending his best wishes for the Italian’s recovery and defending Aldeguer: “The move was very early and aggressive. But I understand his situation. Fermin is coming back from an injury. You have to get used to the aero and the bike again. Anyone can make a mistake in those circumstances.”

Willkommen zum Rennwochenende in Katar

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Paddock

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Streckenposten

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Marc Márquez & Jorge Martin

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Pol Espargaró

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Johann Zarco

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Francesco Bagnaia

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Raúl Fernández

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Cal Crutchlow

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Enea Bastianini

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Fermin Aldeguer

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Lorenzo Savadori

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Jorge Martin

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Luca Marini

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Iker Lecuona

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Der Start des Rennens

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Franco Morbidelli

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Raúl Fernández

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Pedro Acosta

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Maverick Viñales

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Ai Ogura

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Diogo Moreira

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Fabio di Giannantonio

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Pedro Acosta

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Qualifying - Marc Márquez, Marco Bezzecchi & Fabio di Giannantonio

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Jorge Martin

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Fabio di Giannantonio

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Marc Márquez

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Sprint - Fabio di Giannantonio, Marc Márquez & Jorge Martin

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Willkommen zum Rennwochenende in Katar

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After the restart for ten laps, Acosta was overtaken early on by Jorge Martin (Aprilia), then put Raul Fernandez under pressure. When Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) was also forced out of the race, the 22-year-old was in fifth place at times, but Johann Zarco (LCR-Honda) overtook the Spaniard again. Acosta managed to keep Ai Ogura (Trackhouse-Aprilia) behind him right to the finish line and finished sixth.

Sprint, part two: Tyre problems slow down the KTM frontrunner

“I struggled to get the tyres to work. We need to understand why, because the same thing happened to me at the restart in Barcelona,” explained Acosta. He was convinced: “Without that red flag, we would have had a chance of achieving more. Not necessarily the podium, but a top-four finish.”

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In the World Championship, Acosta now sits 112 points behind Marc Marquez on 299 points. With only 99 points still up for grabs at the Qatar GP, in Portimão and in Valencia, the KTM rider is mathematically out of the title race. In contrast to Friday’s practice sessions, Acosta feels he is on the right track: “We’ve turned the weekend around, but we’re still a long way off.”