Published: 22 Aug 2024
What Made the Austrian GP Acosta's "Most Difficult of the Season"
Pedro Acosta faced his toughest MotoGP weekend of the season, with unexpected challenges and some crucial lessons for the rest of the year.
The Tech3 GASGAS team faced some significant challenges at the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix, marking what team boss Nicolas Goyon described as their “most difficult weekend of the season”.
Pedro Acosta, having been the season’s standout rookie, endured a particularly tough weekend. Friday’s sessions were marred by multiple crashes, and the young Spaniard’s troubles continued into qualifying, where he was unable to advance out of Q1, placing him 14th on the grid.
A scary one for @37_pedroacosta at T4! 😱😱😱
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) August 16, 2024
The session has been red-flagged after the rookie's second crash 🔴#AustrianGP 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/k5vCP60fD9
Reflecting on the weekend, Acosta admitted to being puzzled by the unexpected issues that hampered his performance at the Red Bull Ring.
“We were dealing with problems that we didn’t anticipate, and honestly, I wasn’t sure where they were coming from,” he said.
“We’ll see what we can do to improve. The test team has two days in Misano, and then we head to Aragon, where the new surface will be a challenge for everyone. We’ll see how far we can go.”
After a very promising start to the season, with Acosta emerging as a leading figure for the KTM MotoGP structure, the Austrian GP highlighted the growing pains the team has to face.
“It was clear from the beginning that this weekend would be tough, especially after failing to make it into Q2,” team boss Herve Poncharal noted.
“When that happens, aiming for the top five becomes much more difficult. Pedro didn’t have the speed he wanted at this GP, and we need to focus on addressing our weaknesses to regain our strength.”
Acosta’s teammate, Augusto Fernandez, also found the weekend challenging. Struggling with rear tyre management, the Spaniard described the race as one of “survival”.
However, despite the difficulties, he managed to secure a point by finishing 15th, and remained optimistic about the pace he found during the race.
“It was a tough race. You really have to manage the rear tyre well here, and it almost becomes a ‘survival’ race,” Fernandez said.
“In the end, I’m happy with the point. We struggled all weekend, but we made some progress with our pace. I think we did the best we could today. Now, it’s about building confidence for the rest of the season.”
For Tech3 and their talented rookie, the focus now shifts to learning from these challenges and preparing for the upcoming races.
As Poncharal optimistically points out, “Despite the setbacks, Pedro remains the man of the future for us, and we will continue to support him in every way possible.”
