Spanish motorcycle racer (born 2004)
Pedro Acosta Sánchez (born 25 May 2004) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer, competing in MotoGP for the Red Bull GasGas Tech3 team.[1] Acosta took his maiden win in only his second Moto3 race at the 2021 Doha motorcycle Grand Prix after starting from the pitlane for irresponsible riding in free practice. In the same season, he won the 2021 Moto3 World Championship becoming the first rookie champion since Loris Capirossi in 1990,[2] and the second youngest ever champion, just one day older than Capirossi was at the time of winning. In 2023, Acosta won the Moto2 world championship with 2 races to go. Acosta is also a champion of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, having won the title in 2020.
Career
Early career
Acosta participated in various national competitions, winning in 2017 in the PreMoto3 category. In 2018 he entered the Junior Moto3 World Championship. In 2019 he also raced in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, finishing second, winning three races. He finished as champion the following year, winning six races in total, all six coming consecutively at the first six races of the season.[3]
Moto3 World Championship
In 2021 he made his debut racing in Moto3 class with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team. In his first race in Qatar, he finished in second place, becoming one of just a handful of riders to score a podium on their Grand Prix debut. On 4 April 2021 he won the Doha Motorcycle Grand Prix starting from pitlane, becoming the first rider in the history of Moto3 to accomplish this feat.[4][5] Acosta would later win the next two races in Portugal and Spain, becoming the first rider in Grand Prix history to get on the podium in all of his first four races. He would win three more races during the season, in Germany, Styria, and Algarve, becoming champion in Algarve, when Darryn Binder crashed into Acosta's main title rival Dennis Foggia. He won the championship by 43 points, and became the first rookie champion of the Moto3 class since 1990, when Loris Capirossi won the 125cc title. Acosta was only one day older (17 years, 166 days) than Capirossi (17 years, 165 days) when they won their respective titles.
Moto2 World Championship
Red Bull KTM Ajo (2022–2023)
Acosta was promoted to Moto2 with the same team in 2022, joining compatriot Augusto Fernández who also moved from Marc VDS Racing Team.[6] He recorded his first Moto2 win during the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello.[7] After missing two rounds due to a broken femur sustained in a training accident,[8] he won another race in Aragón.[9] Acosta won the 2023 Moto2 World Championship.
MotoGP World Championship
Red Bull GasGas Tech3 (2024–)
Acosta was promoted to MotoGP for 2024 with Red Bull GasGas Tech3.[10] He impressed in Qatar as he finished P8 in the sprint and P9 in the race, where he was as high as P4, but slowed due to tyre degradation.[11][12] In Portimao, he achieved a podium in the main race, having overtaken experienced riders Brad Binder, Marc Marquez (both in turn 1) and Francesco Bagnaia (in turn 3).[13][14] At the Circuit of the Americas he fought Marquez again, as well as Jorge Martin only to finish P4 in the sprint, but in the main race he lead a race for the first time and made moves that would have seen either a rider go wide on the exit of the corner or crash, he finished P2 behind Maverick Vinales.[15][16]
Career statistics
Career highlights
- 2017: 1st, FIM CEV PreMoto3 Championship
European Talent Cup
Races by year
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship
Races by year
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup
Races by year
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
By season
* Season still in progress.
By class
Races by year
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
‡ Half points awarded as less than half of the race distance (but at least three full laps) was completed.
* Season still in progress.
