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Having ended his own rookie year in the satellite team on a positive note with a 6th place finish in the championship, with several podiums to his credit and a few missed opportunities, Pedro Acosta now turns his gaze to 2025 with high expectations. The Spaniard, back to his historic #37 after Augusto Fernandez's farewell as a MotoGP rider, will now be at the forefront to meet his own and KTM's expectations.
The premises are good, so many changes starting with a reinforced lineup with the arrival in the second team of Bastianini from Ducati and Vinales from Aprilia, both bringing valuable know-how to the Austrian cause. Added to this is the arrival of Aki Ajo as team manager of the official team, who already knows and has helped young Acosta mature and taken the already confirmed Brad Binder to victory at his side in the box. The young Acosta will therefore treasure the experience gained last season to tackle the race weekends with more awareness, trying to avoid the mistakes of the past. The challenge ahead of him, however, will not be easy; he will have to hold his own against formidable rivals - Bagnaia and Marquez on the Ducatis on the one hand, and defending champion Martin on the Aprilia on the other - with the unknown, however, of his two new teammates who promise to be just as competitive.
"I am happy to face another season with KTM, I have been racing in these colors since I was 14 years old," Acosta began, "it was strange not to have them last year. The tests in Barcelona were positive and left me with a good taste before the winter break, now I am curious to see what we will find at the Sepang tests."
During this winter break did you get a closer look at the direction development will take this year?
"It's been a busy but quiet winter in that respect, but I know we will have a lot of things to test in Malaysia. For me the most important thing besides coming back to the factory team will be the arrival of Aki Ajo as team manager, he will not only manage the team during the races but also the testing, I think the upcoming tests will be really interesting."
Has it been difficult during this period to separate yourself from all the rumors surrounding KTM's difficulties?
"In the end it's not something I have to deal with, it's more of a management thing. Our focus as riders is trying to be fast on the track, that's the best help we can give, so from that point of view we are calm."
Do you think you have everything to be able to win some GPs or maybe fight for the title in 2025?
"Last season we came very close to winning a GP in some races, we fought many times for the podium. Now I am more experienced and feel calmer, I think this will be the biggest change for me this season. My thinking will be calmer than last year, this will be the key and the victory I think will come as a result."
You often said in your rookie year that it was a learning phase, and that you could afford to make mistakes. What was the biggest mistake and what do you expect to see in testing?
"I think the biggest mistake and one I would like not to repeat were the two crashes in the Motegi weekend, a GP where we were competitive. Everything as always is related to experience, I don't expect anything specifically from these tests. This winter I worked a lot to improve some aspects where I had difficulties, such as qualifying. I think last year I wanted to achieve too much, and too fast. Sometimes I made a lot of mistakes, not only in the race but also in the weekend, crashing 2 or 3 times on Friday. That didn't help to build a good progression during the weekend, so that might be our advantage this year."
When you arrived in MotoGP, you found three riders in KTM with already some experience behind them. This year, on the other hand, you will be welcoming newcomers Bastianini and Vinales. Do you think they will be helpful or will you be the one to help them adapt faster?
"Definitely they will help, I think this is the strongest lineup ever for KTM, I dare say maybe even the strongest lineup in the championship. Let's see what will happen, it's clear that they have less experience on the KTM but on the other hand we will have a rider like Vinales who has a lot of experience on different bikes, while Bastianini will bring knowledge of Ducati and has been competitive in the last two years. So for me it's not a question mark, I know they will be competitive, everyone has their strengths, we will put everything together to create a strong lineup."
Bagnaia, Marquez, Martin and Acosta: are these the riders who will compete for the title this season?
"I hope so, we have to put these three names in front of mine, though, because they finished in front in the last championship. I think we can do well this season, we will have to keep our feet on the ground and see what this will lead to."
2025 will be an important year for development because in 2026 everything will be frozen in view of the regulation change.
"Every year is important, but maybe this will be one of the most important years of my life. Not only because I will be in the factory team but because now I have more experience with this bike to understand how to be fast. But I'm not thinking about 2026 yet, the next step will be to take another step forward in the next tests to get a little closer to the top riders."
Last year Ducati dominated the championship, do you think this supremacy can be reduced or eliminated within a season?
"The values on the track have changed a lot this year. There will be fewer Ducatis, Martin will be in Aprilia, and in KTM we are improving and have one of the best lineups ever. We will only have a clearer idea of the situation though after the Sepang tests."
At Valentino Rossi's ranch you also had the opportunity to team up with Michael Dunlop.
"Yes, it's a dream come true. I would have loved to go to the TT last year but I couldn't do it. I was happy to be on the team with him, it was also a chance to experience something different from what we usually experience by racing on the track. We had a good time, it was the first time for him in flat track."
