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Pedro Acosta put his signature on another excellent result. A third place in the Mugello Sprint, just hours after announcing his move to the official KTM factory team for the next two years. An announcement that was long-awaited, but also perhaps expected, in light of a championship in which the talent from Mazarron is currently 6th in the standings, with 90 points, and first of the KTMs. The young Spanish rookie is to all intents and purposes one of the stars of this early part of the season, and his confirmation in the official team, alongside Brad Binder starting next year, is but another part of a journey that ties the Austrian constructor to Acosta since his debut in the Moto3.
"We worked well today," Acosta said at the end of the Sprint. "Maybe, with a better qualification, we could've done better, but we have the speed to do well again tomorrow."
Today came the confirmation that, for the next two years, you'll be riding for the factory KTM team.
"I still remember the first contract with KTM for the Moto3 in Valencia. I was a kid. This is obviously great news, even though I'm already riding a factory bike. I'll be working with the same team I'm working with now, and that also makes me happy. In the end, the guys in the garage are like the guys in orange, but they're dressed in red. It was important for me to keep the same team and the same performance."
The riders market is still uncertain. The dream team with Marquez is still a possibility.
"This Ducati thing is becoming a soap opera. There's a new episode every weekend."
With a better start, can you aspire to a victory tomorrow by battling out with Pecco?
"Our start today was good, but we lost something at the first corner. The tire choice tomorrow won't be easy. The medium and the soft will both be good options. If the start is better, and I'm in the top five coming out of turn one, there's a possibility. Today, I had a fast pace and tried to catch Marquez and Pecco but, by then, they were far."
So, qualifications have become crucial.
"We were fast. But qualifying was strange today. When Marc fell, Aleix was also there, and Alex Marquez, who was ahead of me, was going slower. But it could happen. It's part of the game."
You're the only KTM that doesn't seem to suffer vibrations on the rear.
"I'm also having vibrations, but it's different than my brandmates. At Le Mans, we managed to avoid them, and we're also working on my riding style with the team, in order to overcome this problem. But I have to admit that it still doesn't come completely natural to me, and it's not easy. For now, it's the only way. Until we figure everything out, we'll continue in this direction."
So what are you sacrificing when you say you're still not completely natural on the bike?
"I'd like to be able to ride more gently at some points on the track. Maybe there are some points where I could do that, like in entering corners. But, then, I'd have that vibration problem. That's something you absolutely have to avoid with these bikes, to gain time on the straight."
You managed the tire well. You still had plenty left in the second half of the race.
"When I passed Binder, I was chasing Marc and Jorge, but the problem for us remains in qualifying. If you look at Pecco's performance, he's always consistent at the level where he pushes. I, on the other hand, have come to the conclusion that I'm still on a seesaw. In some corners, I push more than in others. This isn't the best for tire management or pressure. You have to start further ahead to be able to keep the pace consistent."
