How Fabio Di Giannantonio struck a nerve with Pedro Acosta: 'Nobody passes me while looking at me' 

Pedro Acosta has admitted he was annoyed after Fabio Di Giannantonio passed him in the final sequence of corners at the French Grand Prix last weekend. He was particularly irked by the Italian taking the trouble to glance back at him after doing so. 

Di Giannantonio nabbed fourth place from the factory KTM rider going into the double right-hander at Raccordement on the last lap. Then, somewhat unusually under the circumstances, the VR46 rider looked meaningfully over his shoulder as the pair sped towards the flag. Not once, but twice.

The glare appeared to get under the skin of the man who had just been overtaken within sight of the finishing line.

"I’m noting it down for next time," said the 21-year-old to the Spanish press, albeit with a touch of humour. "Nobody passes me while looking at me." 

"We’ll see each other again in the next race," he declared, setting up a spicy duel if the pair meet on track in Barcelona this weekend.

An interesting sub-plot to the incident is the fact that Di Giannantonio is set to take Acosta's seat at the factory KTM team next season. Although not officially confirmed, the signing is understood to have been completed the previous evening.

Acosta, who has long since signed his own deal to move to the factory Ducati squad, was equally forthright in his assessment of his own riding towards the end. He admitted to misjudging the threat from behind, losing time with overly defensive lines. 

“Maybe fourth place was what I could have secured, but I thought Di Giannantonio was closer than he actually was, and I went to defend myself more than necessary."

When pressed about his irritation with Di Giannantonio in his English briefing, Acosta dodged the question and underlined his strategic error at the end.

"Anyway, today was my fault because I was thinking that he was much closer, and I was maybe too defensive, or defending too much. And then, I mean, I f***ed up [the whole lap], let's say.

"But anyway, one position more, one position less was not going to make a big difference."