HODGSON SURPRISED BY ACOSTA’S EARLY MOTEGI PACE

Pedro Acosta arrived at Motegi for the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix as a MotoGP race winner for the first time, having dominated the previous round in Austria. But his opening practice session was a marked change from his strong start at the Red Bull Ring: Acosta finished 10th, more than seven-tenths of a second behind Marc Marquez, who set the pace with a 1:44.073.

The KTM rider had led FP1 in Austria by more than two-tenths over teammate Pol Espargaro. That contrast caught the attention of former MotoGP rider Neil Hodgson, who was covering the session for TNT Sports.

“He’s quite a way off there, which is surprising when you think about how he came out in Austria and dominated the weekend from the very first lap,” Hodgson said. “So that very first practice session is a slight surprise, I’d say. Obviously, he’s still in front of the other KTMs.”

Acosta was indeed KTM’s fastest rider in the session. Brad Binder placed 17th, more than six-tenths behind his factory teammate, while Tech3 riders Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini finished 18th and 19th respectively.

Despite the subdued start, fellow TNT Sports pundit Michael Laverty was not ready to rule Acosta out of contention. He noted that Motegi has generally suited the Spaniard, although Acosta had been below expectations there the previous year. Laverty also pointed to the similarities between the Japanese circuit and the Red Bull Ring, where Acosta had just secured his maiden premier-class victory.

“After coming off a solid weekend in Austria, with the similarities between that race track and this one, then maybe Pol [Espargaro] will have to go to work and adjust the base package,” Laverty said. “But I still feel like this could be a Pedro weekend, he will be in the mix.”