Pedro Acosta put on a show during the Portuguese Grand Prix, on the Portimão circuit, by signing his first podium in MotoGP, after only two weekends.
Starting from 7th position on the starting grid, Pedro Acosta managed to maintain his position during the first laps, before fighting with the two official KTM riders. Quickly, the Tech3 GASGAS driver got back on Marc Márquez, whom he overtook on the 8th lap. The Spanish driver attacks double World Champion Francesco Bagnaia. He overtakes him on the 21st lap, placing him in fourth position. He took advantage of the fall of Maverick Viñales, following a mechanical problem.
Pedro Acosta, first podium in MotoGP
Pedro Acosta becomes the third youngest driver in the premier category to reach a podium, at 19 years and 304 days, behind Randy Mamola (19 years and 261 days – 1979 Finnish Grand Prix) and Eduardo Salatino (19 years and 274 days – Argentine Grand Prix 1962).
“It’s not easy to arrive at a new circuit without any experience on a MotoGP, but I have nothing but good words for my team. They work like crazy to provide me with the best bike, I always messages from my crew chief asking me to check some things, try to find good ways to prepare, and honestly we did an incredible job. From the start of the race the bike was much better than Saturday, but I’ve raced long distances all my life, so the main race is more natural for me. We managed our tires well, and we made a lot of good overtakes. However, the one I liked the most appreciated is the one on Pecco Bagnaia, because I spent a lot of time behind him before, and I was able to learn from him, it was a great opportunity. It was a great weekend for us, but we have to keep our feet on the ground, because there are still a lot of new circuits to learn, so we will now focus on the next one,” he explained after the Portuguese Grand Prix.
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