Pedro Acosta perplexed by Hungary pace advantage: “I cannot think about winning”

Acosta was four tenths clear of the field in Friday practice but believes KTM is not yet in a position to challenge for victory at Balaton Park

Pedro Acosta says the dramatic swings in his recent form make it difficult for him to “think about winning” the Hungarian Grand Prix, despite making a dominant start to the weekend.

The factory KTM rider stunned the opposition in Practice at Balaton Park on Friday, ending up four tenths quicker than the VR46 Ducati of Fabio di Giannantonio.

The result came just a week after a relatively subdued outing at Mugello, where Acosta failed to secure a direct place in Q2 on Friday and finished only sixth in Sunday’s race.

The Spaniard admitted to being surprised by his pace in Hungary, insisting he felt little difference on the bike compared to last weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

“It's quite strange for us to understand why I was competitive in Barcelona, really slow in Mugello and again competitive here,” he said. “This is not normal and we have to understand something, because if not it's really difficult to make constant weekends during the year to try to arrive at the final target.

“It’s not my case, but fighting for a championship, you need to be really constant during the year. A bad race cannot be P12, let's say. We need to understand this.”

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / Getty Images

The tight-and-twisty Balaton Park Circuit is a major departure to Mugello, where Aprilia’s Jorge Martin broke the all-time speed record at 369km/h.

The RC16 has traditionally been known for its top speed performance, but Acosta believes the shorter trains at Balaton Park are working in his favour.

“First of all, we are not struggling on the straights here. That is something that in Mugello I was struggling a lot with,” he explained.

“This helped a lot because nothing changed from Mugello to here, but it's just the fact that the track is not that fast and we don't lose that much.

“But again, the feeling of Mugello was not that different compared to the feeling that I have now. And now I'm fast and Friday of Mugello I was really slow for this. It's really difficult to understand.”

Acosta ruled out his chances of scoring a maiden grand prix victory this weekend, instead pointing to Aprilia and Ducati as the favourites in Hungary.

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Stephen Blackberry/NurPhoto via Getty Images

“Hopefully, the bike will be stable throughout the weekend. There are four Aprilias in Q2, and Marc [Marquez] has set a fantastic pace.

“I'm not in a position to think about winning, because the difference between today and last weekend is huge. The pace with the soft tyre is good, so we have to be happy about that.

“What worries me is Marc Marquez's speed with the medium tyre, given that he won the race last year with it."