Marquez: Acosta to achieve MotoGP victories ‘this year’, ‘let's see if he can fight for the championship”

After a podium finish in only his second MotoGP event, plus a fastest lap in both Qatar (GP) and Portimao (Sprint), it looks a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’ Pedro Acosta becomes a premier-class race winner this season.

The 19-year-old’s third place in Portimao on Sunday also made him the third youngest rider to finish on the premier class podium, after Eduardo Salatino in 1962 and Randy Mamola in 1979.

In more modern terms, Acosta joins only Marc Marquez, Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Martin in taking a debut MotoGP podium within two grands prix during the current four-stroke era (since 2002).

Parallels between Acosta and Marquez had been drawn before the #31 had completed a MotoGP lap.

Both won the junior 125cc/Moto3 and 250cc/Moto2 titles in the space of just three seasons, the difference being that Marquez took until his third year in 125GP to be crown champion while Acosta did it as a rookie.

The similarities continued with Acosta +1.2s from the top after his first MotoGP test at Valencia last year, almost exactly matching the +1.1s by Marquez at the same test on his MotoGP debut for Repsol Honda in late 2012.

Marquez then took a podium in his first MotoGP race, while Acosta – whose first MotoGP race pass was on Marquez - reached as high as fourth before fading to ninth with tyre wear in Qatar this year.

But, just like the #93 over a decade earlier, Acosta set the fastest race lap on his MotoGP debut.

Of course, Marquez then went on to brilliantly win in only his second MotoGP race. But COTA in 2013 was a unique event, being the sport’s first visit to Austin and therefore without the normal rookie disadvantages of track knowledge. Marquez and the other factory riders also had the benefit of a private test beforehand.

So perhaps it’s better to look at the timeframe for Marquez’s second victory as a potential target for Acosta.

That came in round eight of the 2013 season, at Sachsenring. Interestingly, round eight of this season is scheduled for Kazakhstan which, if it goes ahead, will be a repeat of COTA 2013 - a brand new MotoGP circuit for all riders. The best chance for a rookie to shine.

Either way, Acosta has up to and including the Sachsenring in July to beat Marquez’s record as the youngest MotoGP race winner at 20 years and 63 days. Acosta’s 20th birthday will be on May 25th.

Marc Marquez: “Let's see if he can fight for the championship straight away”

Six-time premier-class champion Marquez isn’t known for showering his MotoGP opponents with blind praise.

But the 31-year-old has frequently repeated that young countryman Acosta has the talent and competitive (KTM) machinery to match his own rookie achievements, which sensationally ended with world title glory in 2013.

“It was nice to follow him because he riding with that [freedom] of a rookie,” said Marquez, who like reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia was overtaken by Acosta on his way to the podium in Portimao.

“I don't want to say [riding] ‘unconscious’ but he’s just riding using a lot of kerb, using a lot the tyres… And he did an amazing race. He was super fast.

“I already said before the Qatar race; he will achieve podiums, victories this year and let's see if he can fight for the championship straight away.”

Marquez added: “He was [already] one of the big names of the championship in the previous categories and he will be one of the big names, future and present. He’s riding super good.”

Binder: “Acosta’s really special”

Red Bull KTM team-mates Brad Binder and Jack Miller, riding with the same RC16 machinery, were also overtaken by Acosta on his way to the Portuguese Grand Prix podium.

Acosta had lost out to Binder - whom it shouldn’t be forgotten was a KTM race winner in only his third Grand Prix, as a rookie - in the opening laps of the race but had got the better of them both by lap 7 of 25. Then pulled away.

Although fortunate to be handed third place when Maverick Vinales retired on the final lap, the teenager took the chequered flag five-seconds clear of Binder (fourth place) and ten seconds ahead of Miller (fifth).

“I’ll tell you, when he passed me, he was rolling eh!” smiled Binder. “He’s really special, when you watch him ride you can see how good he is, the way he can control the bike, has a lot of corner speed, picks it up nicely. He’s a real class act. Hats off to him, he really deserves a podium.”

Binder sees having another fast rider on the RC16 as a ‘blessing rather than a curse’.

“I think one of my biggest blessings as a rider is that I’ve always had good team-mates that have really pushed me,” said the South African. “You can look at it as a blessing or a curse, but it’s always been really good for me.

“So I think together we can really keep pushing and try to get this whole project going forward. “

Casting his mind back to his own rookie MotoGP season in 2020, Binder said:

“I remember stepping into MotoGP and struggling at the first test, then I got to the first race and thought ‘I’m super fast’ and I ended up crashing a lot!

“I was always feeling I could out-brake people, so funny things.

“But it’s always exciting, at the beginning you’re racing against guys you looked up to. And now I think it’s tougher than when I joined, but it’s super cool and it’s an adventure for sure.”

Miller: “Pedro rode fantastic, Brad and I had our tongues hanging out”

Miller was also quick to admit Acosta had been the faster rider on the day.

“Pedro rode fantastic,” said the Australian, who rode a ‘customer’ open-class Honda after stepping straight from Moto3 for his MotoGP debut in 2015.

“Once he got past Brad, he kind of just put the hammer down. Brad and I both had our tongues hanging out trying to chase him down but we couldn’t do nothing about it, he looked good on the bike.”

Quizzed on Acosta’s riding style, Miller quipped: “He’s not really on top of the bike, he’s out of the bike, he has everything touching the ground. It looks like his head is about to touch the ground at some points! The style is impressive, especially when you’re behind.

“I can only wish to ride like that, I’m a little less stylish maybe. But he’s riding well, and he can put the bike where he wants to, that’s a positive thing. We’ve improved this KTM an incredible amount in the last 12 months and he is taking full advantage of it.

“Now we need to use him as the target and try to understand what he’s doing differently and learn from him. I’m 29 but I’m still learning every exit.”

Miller also joked he’s going to “go back and do some more Pilates” to help mimic the way Acosta climbs around the bike.

“If you look at my style back in 2016 to what it is now, I think my style has changed quite a lot. But obviously not enough, I need to keep working on it, I’ll go back and do some more Pilates!”

Aleix: “Acosta’s not a rookie anymore! Unbelievable how fast he is”

At 34, Aleix Espargaro is the oldest and most experienced rider on the MotoGP grid.

The Spaniard made his premier-class debut back in 2009 and has faced the likes of Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Nicky Hayden, Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo, as well as current champions Marquez, Fabio Quartararo and Bagnaia.

“I don’t know what he ate for breakfast, because yesterday we were similar and today he was on another planet!” joked factory Aprilia rider Espargaro, who had finished directly behind Acosta in the Saturday Sprint at Portimao.

“He’s been amazing, the way he rides the bike, the way he stops the bike. He’s not [riding like] a rookie anymore! It’s unbelievable how fast he is.”

Espargaro doesn’t think Acosta has invented a new kind of MotoGP riding style but is simply “super fast” and also showing “the KTM is not a bad bike, because immediately he’s fighting for victory, crazy!”

Place your bets on where you think that first victory will be...