Acosta fourth at Sepang but doesn't trust the KTM: “The feeling was terrible.”

The stopwatch is smiling; Acosta, much less so. Pedro Acosta finished Friday’s pre-qualifying session at Sepang in fourth place, riding a KTM that put three bikes straight through to Q2. But the Spanish rider is not hiding a problem that could weigh on his entire Malaysian GP weekend: he has no confidence in the front end.

The gap to the fastest rider, Marc Marquez, is small. On paper, at any rate, that puts him in contention for a podium. But he is keeping expectations in check. "It’s difficult," he admitted, adding: "It’s true that we’re not far off Marc and the top four, but I don’t have confidence in the bike’s front end. We’re trying to get the feeling back and make the right steps."

The paradox for number 37 lies in the gap between his pace and how the bike feels underneath him. By his own account, his pace is even better than expected, as long as he doesn’t have to push as hard as he does when chasing a single fast lap. The weak point is under braking, when the bike fails to give him the reference points he needs. “We need to understand what’s happening, because the pace wasn’t that bad, but the feeling was terrible.”

The clearest warning came at Turn 15, where Acosta narrowly avoided a crash. "It was a close call. I’d already had a lot of problems with the front end during FP1, and when you find yourself in trouble that many times, you start to be on high alert," he said. The Spaniard was keen to point out, however, that at a circuit that has historically not suited him, he has already lapped faster in Malaysia than he did in last year’s qualifying session.

On a Friday marked by numerous crashes, Acosta also pointed to the condition of the Malaysian circuit’s surface. "Every year, it seems like the asphalt gets worse and worse. There aren’t many bumps, but it’s true that once you touch the asphalt, things get very difficult—in fact, chunks are coming loose," he explained.

This time, though, something new could help him: three KTMs are in the top ten, and only Ducati, with four bikes, has outperformed the Mattighofen squad. Acosta, often the only KTM among the front-runners, will finally be able to compare useful data. "It was particularly difficult for Maverick, but he was very fast. It was interesting to look at his data. But it’s not about position; it’s about feeling," he stressed.

The title fight is now out of reach in the standings: Acosta heads into the Malaysian races in fourth place, 52 points behind Marco Bezzecchi, 92 behind Jorge Martin and 102 behind championship leader Marc Marquez. The goal, then, is to rediscover the right feeling.

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