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After four retirements and a forfeit due to injury in the Australian GP, Pedro Acosta finally returned to see the checkered flag and he did so in the best way possible: by aiming for the podium in the Thai GP. The Red Bull GasGas Tech3 rider was not fooled by the rain, which often sent him into a crisis when racing in Moto2, and he made a fine comeback from seventh to third after a mistake on lap three.
A solid race the one conducted from there on by the young Spanish rider, who crossed the finish line just nine tenths behind the Ducati of Jorge Martin. After getting rid of first Brad Binder and then Jack Miller in the last few laps.
"We have to be happy because, after several races, we managed to finish one and that is positive. We have to continue in this way, thinking that when it is not our day we cannot change the situation but we have to remain calm and gain experience. Today was a good day, although I struggled to find my rhythm compared to the Warm Up," Acosta commented in the press conference, talking about his Grand Prix.
"At the beginning of the race I went wide first in Turn 3 and then in Turn 1, so I told myself that maybe it was better to pace myself and keep the pace. Then I don't know what happened, but at the end of the race, I suddenly started going fast," he explained, "We have to be happy and keep in mind that we have to finish races."
The difficult start to the race did not take away the concentration from the 20-year-old, who was able to forcibly grab the last step of the podium from Miller. At the end of a splendid duel with his brand mate.
"It was a really nice battle and I knew it was a duel for the podium, of the series: 'now or never' - Pedro recounted - It's always nice to fight with Jack, because he is aggressive but always within the limits, and I really enjoyed it. We were lucky not to make a disaster, because otherwise we would have spent a long afternoon in the pit. We have to be happy about that and see how we can improve in the first part of the race."
A duel that was not only worth the podium for the two-time world champion, but also allowed him to move just six points away from fifth place in the World Championship, currently occupied by Binder. A result that Acosta probably would have struggled to imagine at the start of the race.
"I had a hard time getting the brake discs up to temperature. I don't know for what reason, but since I've been in MotoGP it takes me longer than, for example, Miller and Binder. In addition, I didn't have a good feeling with the rear tire. As Martin also said, I had a lot of sliding coming out of Turns 5 and 6. It was like riding on ice," said the 20-year-old, recounting his initial feelings, "So it was very difficult to analyze the situation and the start was quite difficult. As I said before, I also went wide in the first corners. But then there came a time about five laps from the end when there was a change and I started going fast. It's hard to understand why, but we got on the right track."
The Spaniard seemed to be much more comfortable in the rain than when he was racing in the intermediate class.
"I don't know why I was never competitive in Moto2 in the rain. Apart from in last year's Australian GP, in which I was quite 'fast' coming up from the back of the grid - recalled the GasGas rider - Here in 2022 I started 5th and found myself 20th in the second corner. I don't know why, but it is still true that in Moto2 it was quite complex with Dunlop tires, because you had a lot of lapping. Switching to Michelin was much better, and if you think about it, all the riders who got on a KTM and found themselves in these difficult wet conditions were always pretty quick. I think of Oliveira in 2022, Binder's win in Spielberg and how fast Pol Espargaró was at the beginning of the project."
