Pedro Acosta takes on Bezzecchi... while waiting for Ducati

Pedro Acosta consolidates fourth place in the riders' standings and has his sights set on third, with Marco Bezzecchi 37 points ahead. The KTM rider enjoyed a great weekend in Malaysia, winning the MotoGP Sprint and finishing second in the race. He could hardly have done any better; now all that remains is to wait until he gets on the Ducati Desmosedici...

The Mazarrón Shark felt more resigned than joyful after finishing second in the MotoGP race at Sepang. He would have liked to fight Marc Marquez for the win all the way to the end, but his KTM simply didn't have the pace. "We couldn't have done any more. We're lacking a lot of top speed on the straights, and it's true that perhaps if I'd passed Alex earlier, I would have been a little closer. But today I wouldn't have risked the win against Marc. Once again, we got 100% out of the bike".

In any case, Pedro Acosta pulled off a minor miracle in Malaysia, finishing ahead of another Ducati with the Aprilias hot on his heels. How did he do it? "By trying to do everything as perfectly as possible. I rode in a way I don't like to preserve the tyres and avoid putting too much stress on the front tyre. I rode in a way I don't like, sacrificing some of the fun".

Pedro had to battle the Marquez brothers. With Jorge Martin out of the picture, the number of direct rivals had dwindled. The KTM rider overtook Alex between laps nine and ten, then held off the pressure to secure his seventh podium of the season. "At the start of the race, I was lacking straight-line speed compared with Alex. I decided to stay calm and manage the tyres behind him, with the idea of pushing from halfway through the race onward. There wasn't much else I could do... Marc was unbeatable today".

These are his final races on the Austrian prototype, and he wants to bring his time in orange to a fitting close. "I'll give it everything until my last day on this bike. It seems to be working, so I'm happy for myself and the team". Perhaps he can add another win before the end of the MotoGP season, or finish third in the riders' standings. "It's hard to say. At the moment, we're not at Ducati and Aprilia's level. Bezzecchi is my closest rival in the fight for third in the championship. But Qatar seems to be a circuit that suits Aprilia, and last year they won at both Portimao and Valencia. We'll see if we can get back on the podium".

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