How Pedro Acosta risked ‘f*** up’ to score Malaysian GP podium

For the second time in three race weekends, Acosta found a way to defeat his KTM’s tyre-eating habit

KTM factory rider Pedro Acosta says his second place in Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix was down to switching off electronic ‘help’ with his tyre management.

The Spaniard has struggled with tyre degradation on his RC16 in most races this season, and would not have been a popular bet for the runner-up spot in a contest that demanded careful rubber choice and conservation.

Omens on Saturday had not been good for Acosta either. The MotoGP sophomore briefly ran second in the sprint before fading to fourth in a race half the distance of the grand prix, which would take place in hotter conditions.

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But for the second time in three weekends, the 21-year-old found a way to finish the grand prix on the podium – he was runner-up in Indonesia after a cunning tactical ride.

This time, Acosta put his success down to something technical. In the post-race press conference, he revealed that he had made a call to go in a different tyre management direction on Sunday – and was willing to take the blame if it went wrong.

“Our problem is quite clear. We [had tried] something that we normally always try and it was not working, again.

“I said to the boys, ‘Look, we cannot be worse… let’s go completely in the other direction. And if we f*** up, it’s my fault’.

“I think we did a good job. It was difficult, again, to battle for the victory, but we were much closer than we expected [because of] this. I’m quite happy.”

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

In a separate interview in parc ferme, Acosta was clear about the nature of the changes.

“We removed all the controls. I asked them to take everything off, as if it were a normal race, where there was no tyre wear. And I managed it as best I could, with the throttle, the brakes, the pick-ups, the ride height device.”

Acosta was also clear, however, that this would not develop into standard procedure.

“No, for sure it will not be something that I want to use in the next races,” he said.

MotoGP returns to Europe for its final two rounds, which will take place in the cooler climes of Portugal and Spain.

Acosta’s was not the only KTM tyre management success story at Sepang. Enea Bastianini progressed strongly during the race, moving from 19th on the grid to finish second.

While such rides are typical for the Italian Tech 3 rider, Acosta’s team-mate Brad Binder also made a strong run through the field. The South African went from 18th to ninth.

The fourth KTM rider, Pol Espargaro, crashed out of the race early on.