PEDRO ACOSTA WINS THIRD PLACE AT SAN MARINO GP AFTER STRONG RACE RECOVERY

Pedro Acosta’s San Marino Grand Prix weekend at Misano delivered a late surge that turned frustration into a podium. Speaking at the ceremony after finishing third, the KTM rider said, “After the warm-up I was angry,” explaining that his mood earlier on Sunday morning reflected a session that had not gone to plan.

During the warm-up, Acosta could only manage eighth place. He then described how he rallied himself and his team: “After that I cheered everyone on and told Boss Pit Beirer: if you set the bike up the way I need it, then we can achieve something.”

That adjustment proved decisive in the race. Acosta started from seventh and moved into fourth after the first lap. He then spent the middle stages locked in a sharp duel with Alex Marquez, with the Gresini rider ultimately getting the better of him. From there, Acosta worked his way forward in the slipstream of Jorge Martin, and by halfway he had passed the Spaniard—an overtake that set up the podium result at the finish.

Acosta also pointed to the fact that the pace was there when it mattered. “I was fast and the bike was also fast. In fast corners we still miss something, but we have to be happy with the result because we managed to turn the event around for us,” he said.

The podium was not only a morale boost but also a significant step in the championship. With the third-place finish, Acosta took over fifth in the standings. He now has 209 points, sitting six ahead of the injured Trackhouse rider Ai Ogura, and 14 points behind VR46’s Fabio Di Giannantonio.

Despite the earlier setbacks in the weekend—he had not been better than sixth in any of the MotoGP sessions prior to the race—Acosta insisted his drive remained intact: “The motivation doesn’t drop.”