Pedro Acosta surprises KTM too: here’s what makes the future Ducati rider special

The two-time world champion is keeping Mattighofen’s MotoGP team afloat: his crew chief also sheds light on some interesting aspects.

KTM did everything it could to keep him, but Pedro Acosta was determined to move to Ducati, and it will be interesting to see what the Austrian manufacturer does in MotoGP without its star rider. Over the past two seasons, the 22-year-old from Mazarrón has consistently brought the RC16 into contention. The results show that he has made a huge difference compared with his fellow KTM riders.

In the 2025 MotoGP championship, the two-time world champion finished fourth in the final standings with 307 points. The next-best KTM was that of his teammate Brad Binder, who finished eleventh with 155 points. New arrivals Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales, riding for the Tech3 team, finished fourteenth (112 points) and eighteenth (72 points), respectively. Of course, in Vinales’ case, we have to take into account the left shoulder injury he suffered at the Sachsenring, which forced him to miss several Grands Prix and also affected him in 2026, where he has scored just 14 points so far (22nd in the overall standings).

Acosta remains KTM’s top rider in the current championship: he has scored 295 points and sits fourth in the standings. Bastianini is tenth with 134 points and leads the next-best RC16 rider. Binder is twelfth with 118 points.

As for podiums, Pedro has stood on the rostrum 12 times in long races over the past two seasons (highlighted by his 2026 victory in Austria, his first in MotoGP) and 11 times in sprint races (with wins in Thailand and Malaysia in 2026). The only other KTM rider to reach the podium during these two years was Bastianini: third in the 2025 Barcelona feature race, and third in the sprints at Brno in 2025 and Austin in 2026.

Paul Trevathan, speaking to TNT Sports, praised one of Acosta’s many strengths: his adaptability. “He trains on so many different bikes: motocross, flat track, trials, enduro and more. He sends me photos of himself crashing or a handlebar coming loose, but he keeps riding all day. This ability to constantly adapt, to keep changing everything, I think is what impresses me more and more.”

His speed is hardly a surprise anymore; there’s more to the “Acosta package.” The KTM rider’s crew chief had more praise for the Spaniard: “We can go fast on our bikes, but you have to put all the pieces together, and the way he manages to do that over a weekend—sometimes frustrated, of course, sometimes not understanding things—but the way he manages to get the most out of the package every week is extraordinary. He’s getting more out of the package than it should deliver—let’s not kid ourselves, that’s clear.”

What Acosta is doing, working flat out to get every last bit out of his RC16, is a lesson for those teammates who may focus too much on their bikes’ shortcomings instead of trying to make the most of their potential. Trevathan is sure of it: “He’s also showing the other riders that if you keep working hard and trying to understand what you have and how to use it, the bike isn’t always the problem. When the crucial moment comes, it can be a little frustrating, but he’s making us look good.” There’s no doubt KTM has Pedro to thank.

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