Pedro Acosta enters the Grand Prix of France as the lead KTM rider in the world championship – just about. He’s one point ahead of teammate Brad Binder.
Acosta has been quick this year without producing the spectacular highs that characterised his rookie campaign. His best performances have come in qualifying – fifth on the grid in Argentina and fourth in the Americas.
But he’s yet to crack the top six on a Sunday. And while he isn’t crashing at the same rate as last year, he failed to score in Thailand or the Americas after going down.
| RACE | Q | S | R |
| Thailand | 7 | 6 | 19 |
| Argentina | 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Americas | 4 | 7 | DNF |
| Qatar | 12 | 11 | 8 |
| Spain | 12 | 10 | 7 |
Acosta was passed fit for this weekend’s race on Thursday after undergoing arm pump surgery after Jerez. He’s been riding with discomfort so far in 2025.
Le Mans historically hasn’t been a good venue for the Shark of Mazzaron. Eighth in Moto3 in 2021, he retired on his next three visits.
Pedro Acosta wants to learn from Maverick Vinales at French Grand Prix
Maverick Vinales remains the lowest-ranking KTM in the standings. Acosta, Brad Binder and Enea Bastianini are all separated by five points (33, 32, 28), but he’s lagging a little behind on 24.
However, it’s Vinales who seems to have made a breakthrough with the RC16. He finished a spectacular second at the Qatar GP last month, only to tumble down the order after a 16-second penalty for a tyre-pressure breach.
Vinales nonetheless remained at the front in Jerez, qualifying sixth and finishing fourth – KTM’s best result of the year. Speaking to Marca after Friday’s practice sessions, which Vinales ended eighth quickest, Acosta admitted he was studying Top Gun’s riding style closely.
“Of course I look up to Maverick and of course I learn from him,” he said. “A person who has won with three different manufacturers, who has fought for world championships, a Moto3 champion above all, who was one of the last to race in 125cc, is a very smooth rider, who manages corner entry very well.
“It’s exactly what I don’t do. Just as I brake very hard and attack the corner a lot, he prepares everything a little to exit, just like he did with the Yamaha. In the last two races, he’s been the first for the brand, but we’re not that far behind, honestly,”
“You don’t see Maverick making very abrupt movements. He’s been with three brands, and that’s what his history was: a very smooth rider, doing a lot of cornering. Then, with KTM, which seemed like the complete opposite, it’s working for him.
“You also have to look at it a bit because it’s very precise. The bike was radical, it was worth putting courage into it. Now it seems like Maverick can ride it much smoother, which is what we’re looking for, which, supposedly, was the idea when we started the year. It’s just that we lost some direction and we’re finding it again.”
Neil Hodgson pinpoints the big difference he’s seen in Maverick Vinales at Tech3
Speaking to his Tech3 boss Herve Poncharal, Vinales said he’d never felt so comfortable on a MotoGP bike. That’s an eye-catching claim given Acosta’s well-documented unease.
One of the reasons KTM recruited the 35-podium rider, as well as multiple race-winner Enea Bastianini, was no doubt to aid Acosta’s development.
Acosta is clearly the franchise rider, but the impressive depth of the manufacturer’s roster should push him to improve. While KTM’s off-track crisis deepens, their MotoGP team is at least making progress.
During Friday’s FP1 session, Neil Hodgson picked Vinales as the surprise of the year, alongside Ai Ogura. Previously, he had a tendency to ‘go missing’ after his immense highs, but this year he’s showing greater consistency.
