Here is the thing about Pedro Acosta: he has been riding an absolute storm this year, taking the fight to Aprilia and Ducati on machinery that simply shouldn't be keeping up. Now, as Motorsport.com reports, Pol Espargaro believes the Red Bull Ring might finally be the stage where the Spaniard breaks through for his maiden MotoGP victory at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.
That prospect carries plenty of emotion, too. Acosta is leaving KTM at the end of the season after signing a two-year contract with Ducati, meaning Spielberg serves as his final home appearance for the manufacturer that has backed him since his early days in motorcycle racing. He has been KTM's absolute benchmark since stepping up to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing squad last year, creating a massive chasm in performance between himself and the rest of the brand's lineup. Just look at last weekend's San Marino Grand Prix: Acosta dragged his machine to a podium finish in third place, while the next-best KTM rider trailed more than 18 seconds behind in eighth.
Espargaro, representing KTM Tech3, thinks the stars are finally aligning after strong weekends at Silverstone, Aragon, and Misano. "I hope that this weekend is the weekend. If there is a place, it's here," Espargaro said. "I'm glad that this round came after Misano and after Aragon. After a good result for him in tricky places, where we struggled more than we expected, to come here, it should be better." The praise did not stop there, with Espargaro adding that the young star is "riding insane" and arguing that he is equal to the best rider in the category right now.
Despite the glowing endorsement from the paddock, Acosta himself is keeping his feet firmly planted on the asphalt. When those comments were put to him, the Spaniard conceded that a dream win on home turf remains a tall order given the raw pace of the competition. "Well, we cannot think about victory at the moment," Acosta said, pointing out that Ducati and Aprilia still hold a clear performance advantage. He noted how competitive Marc Marquez was last year and how well Ducati operates at the venue.
Even so, the youngster admitted that standing on the top step in Austria would be the ultimate conclusion to his long-standing relationship with the factory. Having been with KTM since he was 16 years old, a victory would be a dream come true to cap off the history they share before he moves on to new adventures.
