Pedro Acosta: “A few guys were doing strange things on the track”

Pedro Acosta looked on course for another standout performance during the French MotoGP before tucking the front at turn seven.

Acosta was very late on the brakes as he attempted to squeeze between Fabio Di Giannantonio and Aprilia Racing’s Aleix Espargaro.

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But in choosing a tighter line with heavier braking, the rookie made his first big mistake of 2024.

Admitting a big result was possible, Acosta said: “The weekend was not bad overall. After the sprint, we made a big step on the bike’s setting, and the feeling was really good in the warm up this morning.

“Today could have been a good day: we made a good start, the bike worked well, but there were a few guys doing strange things on the track, and we ended up crashing, one more year.

“It feels like it is becoming a tradition for me in Le Mans. Let’s try again at the next round in Barcelona."

It’s unclear who Acosta meant when he said some riders ‘were doing strange things’.

On the other side of the Tech 3 garage, Augusto Fernandez suffered another tough weekend as his second season in MotoGP is yet to kick into gear.

Fernandez added: "We had a bad start today, which put us in a bad position for the race, and we paid the price.

“I expected to start better to be with the faster group, but it did not happen. I could not ride like I wanted, it was a tough and frustrating race, but we have to look at the positive, it is the best I've felt since the start of the season.

“I am looking forward to the next round in Barcelona, it is a track that I enjoy, and hopefully our confidence will continue growing."