Pedro Acosta, rider for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, has explained the reasons behind his drop to qualifying Q1 during the Spanish Grand Prix. In a challenging weekend, Acosta found himself in a disappointing 15th position during the practice session, battling tire grip and braking issues.
After mounting a soft rear tire in the final laps, Acosta managed to improve his times, but he was unable to complete a satisfactory lap. In one of his attempts, he almost suffered a crash at corner 6, one of the most critical points of the Jerez circuit.
Acosta admitted that it was by a tenth of a second that he missed out on Q2, falling behind another KTM rider, Enea Bastianini. “It’s hard to understand, because I only felt those ‘normal feelings’ here and not at other tracks,” he commented.
Additionally, he expressed hope that this situation will be an exception and will not happen again throughout the season. “I hope this is the worst race of the year and that we can continue with the good performance we’ve had,” he stated.
With five out of six Ducatis qualifying directly to Q2, the competition has intensified, and Acosta cannot afford mistakes in the next qualifying round. Acknowledging the importance of this session will be key, especially considering the new tire pressure regulations will complicate overtaking opportunities during the race.
“Q1 will be everything, as long as it doesn’t rain on Sunday,” he said. Acosta will go up against riders like Brad Binder, Franco Morbidelli, and Fabio Quartararo, all vying for a spot in Q2.
After a practice session where his speed was promising, Acosta is aware that starting from 15th position could be a difficult obstacle to overcome during the race. “We will have to do our best tomorrow,” he concluded.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI