Pedro Acosta cut a dejected figure after the first day of on-track action at Silverstone, as the KTM rider only set the 11th-best lap time in practice for the British Grand Prix.
It marks the first time since Acosta joined the factory KTM team in the 2025 MotoGP season that he has failed to secure an automatic Q2 place. The 20-year-old has not had to try to get out of Q1 since the 2024 Malaysian Grand Prix when he just missed out on advancing to Q2.
Acosta has on average qualified in P8.6 in the first six rounds of the season, with his average place brought down after registering the 12th-fastest lap time during Q2 in Qatar, Spain and France. He started this term by qualifying P7 in Thailand, P5 in Argentina and P4 in America.
His frustrations for not securing an automatic Q2 place at Silverstone also follow a Le Mans event where Acosta felt KTM cost him a podium in the French Grand Prix. The Spaniard took P4 at Le Mans last time out for his best result thus far this term, but rued KTM’s tyre choice.
Pedro Acosta ‘disappointed’ all KTM riders but especially Maverick Vinales failed to earn Q2 places at Silverstone
The performance of the KTM RC16 at Silverstone is Acosta’s major gripe after the first day of on-track action for the 2025 British GP. Acosta is ‘disappointed’ as all KTM riders will have to go through Q1 at Silverstone, where Tech3 pilot Maverick Vinales is traditionally very strong.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Pedro Acosta from net worth to girlfriend
Acosta was the fastest KTM rider during the pre-qualifying practice session at Silverstone on Friday evening, with the Mazarron native setting the 11th-best lap time with a 1:57.865. His lap was 0.044 seconds shy of taking a Q2 place and 0.197s faster than Vinales’ time for P14.
“A little disappointed because we have to look for where to improve,” Acosta conceded, via quotes by Motorsport.com. “What’s wrong? Well, all four KTMs are out. Maverick is a rider who has always achieved good results here and he’s struggling.
“We’re improving. His race in Qatar was spectacular. In Jerez, we were getting closer. In Le Mans, it was very good. But clearly the bike is not at the level we want to be. And I’m not the only one saying that. The fact that all four KTMs are out of Q2 says it.”
Tech3 rider Vinales lost his P2 in the Qatar Grand Prix over illegal tyre pressures as it drew a 16-second time penalty, which demoted the Spaniard to P14. He had finished the race only 1.8s behind Marc Marquez after competing against the Ducati star to win the race at Lusail.
Enea Bastianini won the double for Ducati at the 2024 British Grand Prix but is the slowest KTM rider in 2025
Acosta was 0.570s off the leading pace set by Gresini rider Alex Marquez on his Ducati GP24 in the pre-qualifying practice session at Silverstone on Friday. Vinales also finished the hour-long session 0.767s shy, while KTM factory rider Brad Binder was 1.030s off the pace in P17.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Maverick Vinales from career stats to net worth
Tech3 pilot Enea Bastianini was the slowest KTM rider in practice for the British GP, with last year’s double winner at Silverstone only the 18th-fastest rider on Friday and also 1.375s off Marquez’s lap. The 27-year-old won the 2024 Silverstone Sprint and British GP with Ducati.
Vinales has also won at Silverstone as the 30-year-old secured his first-ever MotoGP victory in Northamptonshire back at the 2016 British GP for Suzuki. He also finished second there in 2017 and third in 2019 for Yamaha, as well as taking second place riding for Aprilia in 2022.
