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| Pedro Acosta Saves KTM from Total Collapse with Brno MotoGP Comeback. |
After months of chaos, money problems, and a bike that just couldn’t perform, KTM finally caught a break—and it was Pedro Acosta who delivered. The 21-year-old rising star pulled KTM out of the shadows at Brno, where the team hadn’t seen a major result since Brad Binder’s unforgettable win on the RC16 back in 2020.
Let’s be real—this season’s been rough. Acosta came into MotoGP with big hype, but the results just weren’t matching the expectations. He was clearly frustrated, even calling out the team at times. The new RC16 just wasn’t cutting it, and KTM’s financial struggles during the winter only made things worse.
But that all changed in Brno. Acosta not only finished second in the Sprint race—right behind Marc Marquez—but Enea Bastianini also got KTM’s Tech3 bike onto the podium. Yeah, two RC16s up there. That’s huge.
In the main race, Acosta kept the fire going. He was all over Marco Bezzecchi’s Aprilia for second place, pushing hard and holding his ground when Pecco Bagnaia started breathing down his neck in the final laps.
“Super happy to get back-to-back podiums,” Acosta told TNT Sports. “The start of the season was honestly a mess. We had a target, but it felt like everything just disappeared. We worked our asses off and finally, this was the payoff.”
This was a big moment for both Acosta and KTM. It marked the first time they’ve been on the MotoGP podium since Maverick Vinales lost his Qatar result. And for Acosta, it’s his first top-three since that crazy wet race in Thailand last year.
He didn’t hold back when talking about how bad things got behind the scenes.
“It was tough in Austria, for the factory, for me, for everyone,” he said. “I’m super thankful to KTM and my crew. They were the ones taking the hit when I was in a bad mood or just angry.”
And yeah—there was tension. A lot of it.
“You’ve got strong characters—me and the KTM guys—so yeah, we clashed. But the result? We didn’t quit. We fought through it.”
Acosta also explained how close he came to losing that podium near the end.
“We were struggling with the front tire. Pecco was coming in hot. Maybe we pushed too hard at the start, trying to stay with Marc and Pecco. I had to force things a bit.”
He added, “You don’t get many chances like this during the season. So when they come, you’ve got to grab them.”
Looking ahead, Acosta is hoping this momentum can carry over to KTM’s home race at the Red Bull Ring.
“We know where we need to improve. New parts are coming. Let’s see what we can do in Austria.”