CRIVILLE SEES MARQUEZ-LIKE POTENTIAL IN ACOSTA AS KTM CREW CHIEF SAYS HE IS STILL IMPROVING

Pedro Acosta’s first MotoGP Grand Prix victory arrived in commanding fashion at the Austrian Grand Prix, earning praise from former 500cc world champion Alex Criville, who sees similarities with Marc Marquez in the KTM rider’s talent and ambition.

Acosta took control at the Red Bull Ring on lap nine of 28, passing Aprilia’s Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin before pulling clear. Neither could mount a challenge, and the win gave KTM its first victory in four years and its first dry-weather win since 2021. It was a breakthrough achieved on merit, unlike Acosta’s Sprint success in Thailand in March, which he inherited after Marquez was penalised.

Criville was particularly impressed by Acosta’s movement through the circuit’s chicane. Speaking to AS, he said: “He’s in great form, and the race he had in Austria was incredible, with those transitions through the chicane and his style.” He added that Acosta “leans off the bike the most and looks far ahead,” while keeping the KTM stable despite what Criville described as a theoretically inferior machine.

The victory also meant a great deal to KTM, Criville said, praising the people behind the project, including test riders Dani Pedrosa and Pol Espargaro. He was pleased for the team’s passionate staff and for Acosta, who had been pursuing a Grand Prix win for three years. The Spaniard’s wait for a premier-class victory ended 1,071 days after his last Moto2 win, in Indonesia in 2023.

Acosta’s progress has impressed his crew chief, Paul Trevathan, who said it was “a scary question” to predict how much further the 22-year-old could improve. Trevathan said Acosta returned from the summer break “at another level,” and was still finding ways to push the team to improve. “I've seen great riders do this, but they normally take a winter,” he said. “But to do a reset like he did in the summer, and then come back and ride and push us in the way he pushed us to make things better, it's unbelievable.” Trevathan concluded: “I can't answer your question, but I tell you, he's still going [upwards].”

Acosta’s season has included a sharp dip as well as the breakthrough. KTM’s reliability troubles and performance lost through faulty engine parts contributed to a run in which he scored just three points from a possible 74 between Balaton Park and the German Grand Prix, dropping to seventh in the standings. After the engine issue was resolved, he returned to form from Aragon and built a podium run that culminated in Austria. Despite already having a factory Ducati contract for 2027, he continued to push KTM; Trevathan also singled out his ride at Silverstone after the break as one of the best of his career. Acosta starts the Japanese Grand Prix fourth in the championship, 72 points behind leader Jorge Martin.

Acosta has now won both a MotoGP Sprint and a Grand Prix with KTM, but his time in orange is nearing its end. He is set to join Ducati in 2027 on a two-year deal, partnering Marquez after Ducati opted to part ways with Francesco Bagnaia. Criville believes the move could put Acosta in a position to fight for the title.

“If nothing goes wrong, we’re looking at a superstar, another Marquez,” he said. “He’s exceptional, a charismatic guy, and next season he’ll have everything, because he’ll be on the best team in the world, Ducati, with all due respect to Aprilia.” Criville expects the chance to race alongside Marquez to spur Acosta on: “That’s his goal; to beat Marc. And if he beats him, he’ll go for the world championship. We’re going to enjoy watching him a lot.”

The Austrian result offered a striking contrast with the machinery around him. Aprilia’s riders could not stop Acosta, while Ducati had difficulties in part because of Michelin’s heat-treated rear slick. Criville’s excitement now centres on what the young Spaniard can do with Ducati’s Desmosedici—and whether he can turn his ambition to beat Marquez into a championship challenge.