POL ESPARGARO SAYS PEDRO ACOSTA IS GETTING MORE FROM KTM THAN THE BIKE SHOULD ALLOW

Pol Espargaro says he is steadily getting back up to speed after a long spell away from racing, and he believes the gap to KTM’s established front-runners is shrinking—while also praising Pedro Acosta for extracting far more from the RC16 than the package appears to allow.

Speaking after the Aragon Grand Prix, the KTM test rider reflected on how his return has been progressing. “I think I’m enjoying it a bit more now,” Espargaro said. He noted that he has reduced the deficit to his KTM team-mates, adding with a laugh that the remaining distance is not yet to Pedro. “I’ve reduced the gap to my team-mates a lot—not to Pedro. I think it will even get bigger from race to race,” he said.

In terms of raw race performance, Espargaro explained that after the full distance he was only around ten seconds away from Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini. “With Enea and Brad I was able to reduce the gap quite strongly over the weekend,” he said. “But I still miss a lot of speed. It’s only my second race.”

He also pointed to the practical challenges of adapting to MotoGP’s changing demands, particularly when tyre performance drops. “When electronics and tyres are under more strain, I suffer,” Espargaro said. He admitted he is still working out how to respond when the bike becomes more difficult on used tyres. “I don’t know yet how I’m going to react and adapt when the bike has problems with used tyres.”

For Espargaro, the biggest hurdle is rebuilding the automatic decision-making that comes from regular racing. “You have to know what the bike is going to do and what’s going to happen,” he said. “I’m discovering it like a rookie, for the first time.” Even so, he sees clear signs of improvement. “It feels great,” he added. “I feel like I’m getting faster all the time.”

While Espargaro focuses on his own comeback, he also offered high praise for Acosta and what he is demonstrating inside the KTM camp. The 22-year-old has been turning heads with results that include a recent second place, where he also managed to beat highly regarded Aprilia riders. “It’s great to see that the bike works for Pedro,” Espargaro said after Aragon. “His race was incredible. It was great—and like a huge dose of oxygen for everyone in the factory.”

Espargaro believes Acosta’s performances will help KTM push development in the right direction. “That will help us push for Pedro further,” he said. “Because he deserves the best material and the best possible bike for the next races.”

He said Acosta’s impact has been visible beyond Aragon as well, referencing the impression the Spaniard made at Silverstone. “I don’t have words for what he did in Silverstone,” Espargaro said. “But also here he rides like crazy.”

For Espargaro, Acosta’s ability to consistently compete at the front is the clearest proof that the RC16 is being used to its full potential. “It shows that Pedro has the bike completely under control,” he said. “He does much more than the bike can actually do.”

Espargaro also highlighted positive signals from Binder and Bastianini, suggesting KTM’s competitiveness in Aragon was stronger than it may have looked at first glance. “If we look at Brad and Enea, their race wasn’t bad,” he said. “They came into the finish with about 25 seconds’ gap.” Given their starting positions, Espargaro interpreted that as evidence the RC16 had more in it over the weekend. “That’s not too bad,” he said. “It means the bike wasn’t so bad here. That gives us a lot of energy for the next races.”

Looking ahead, Espargaro’s schedule remains packed. After another race appearance in Misano, he is set for a test in Mugello, followed by further travel and additional development work connected to KTM’s 2027 850cc project. He said he needs more track time to close the remaining performance gap, stressing that he has missed planned testing due to injury. “I need laps, I need more laps,” he said. “I need to train and get back to speed.”

With the constant switch between the current 1000cc RC16 and the 2027 prototype becoming part of his routine, Espargaro’s focus is clear: build mileage, regain rhythm, and keep narrowing the distance—while watching Acosta’s benchmark performances from within the same KTM environment.