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Pedro Acosta is back in shape after the problems he experienced in his forearms during the Qatar GP. So, for the upcoming round scheduled in Portugal this weekend, he’s aiming to reach the same level of performance that surprised everyone in the first round, which was also his MotoGP debut.
The GasGas Tech 3 team rider was the protagonist of a good battle with his fellow countryman, Marc Marquez, as well as being in the running for the podium in Sunday's race, until some upper limb pain prevailed, causing him to slip back to 9th place. After a few days of rest, during which he didn’t train, the Spanish rider is now ready to hit the track again.
"Portimão is a track I like and, after the start of the season, I have good feelings. My main goal is to continue with adaptating to the bike and to the category, as well as replicating what we did in Losail," he stated in an interview with Motorsport.com. "When I say that, I mean that we still have to do good free practice sessions to gain the best position on the grid in view of the sprint race, as much as the GP."
Qualifying will, therefore, be essential if he’s to attempt to replicate what he achieved in 2021 in his first year in the Moto3, when he immediately made his mark, and later in 2023 in the Moto2.
Getting back to his performance in the start of the championship, the sudden drop was analyzed in two ways: poor tire management or possible compartment syndrome, which affects many riders. The more technical reason was soon discarded when the mechanics saw that, in returning the bike to the garage, tire wear was within normal range. As for the physical reason, it turned out that the pain was probably caused by the poor posture he kept when activating the device that adjusts the height of the rear.
During the winter tests, the 19-year-old rider had completed a hundred laps with the instrument mounted on the left semi-handlebar. This, however, was switched for the race weekend, evidently affecting his behavior on the bike.
To dispel any doubts, Pedro will still have a check-up next Monday to get an accurate response on what could have created the problem. In any case, three weeks will pass between now and the race in America, during which he could undergo physiotherapy if necessary.
