Pedro Acosta, rider of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, expressed his surprise at the difficulties he encountered during Friday’s practice for the Italian Grand Prix. Despite having worked intensively, he did not secure a direct spot in Q2 qualifying, finishing in a disappointing 13th position, nearly half a second off the best times.
The young Spanish rider was unable to maintain the rhythm that had made him one of the season’s favorites. Acosta admitted that the layout did not suit his riding style and concluded his day with a track exit that sent him into the gravel during his last fast lap.
His performance contrasted sharply with that of Enea Bastianini, teammate from the Tech3 team, who qualified for Q2 with the third-best time. Acosta stated that his struggle was more due to his own setup than to the track conditions.
“We had a difficult day and I couldn’t fully understand the reasons behind the problems we’ve had,” said Acosta. “I will have to analyze the data with the team and review Enea’s data, which seems to be benefiting from these flowing circuits, like Jerez”.
After a promising start to the season, Acosta hopes to regain his rhythm during the weekend. With several podiums and even a victory in Buriram in the early races, he is confident his performance will improve as the competition progresses.
The other KTM riders, Maverick Viñales and Brad Binder, also faced challenging days, finishing in 13th and 18th positions respectively, with Binder stopping due to a technical issue.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
