Ducati test rider Michel Piro Pedro Acosta’s strong start to the 2026 season is unsurprising, but the difference he has made with Brad Binder at KTM is surprising.
Acosta It was compared to another league. KTM Riders in the first two rounds in Thailand and Brazil. He won his first sprint race at Buriram and finished second in the race. Grand Prix of ThailandBefore the arrival of the P9 in the Goiania Sprint and the printing of the P7 in Brazilian Grand Prix.
While “I didn’t feel like a winner,” Acosta said after the Buriram Sprint.A podium in the Thailand GP, thanks to Marc Marquez’s penalty in the lead on the final lap, saw the 21-year-old go top in the championship. Acosta is third after the Brazilian GP.
Acosta factory teammate binding In the year He is the second best KTM rider in 2026 so far. But the 30-year-old is tied for ninth with 13 points, while Acosta’s tally is 42. Tech3 Double Ine Bastianini And Maverick Vinales It only has five and zero points.
Tell the order of the KTM riders in the 2026 MotoGP rankings
Michele Pirro is surprised that Pedro Acosta made such a difference on the KTM RC16
Acosta was the only KTM rider to find a performance in Brazil’s RC16, where he also qualified P9, but Vinales, Binder and Bastianini all sat at the bottom of the Q1 time table. Acosta also led the second best KTM with 6.432s in the Sprint, and 13.153s in the Grand Prix.
Read more: Everything you need to know about Pedro Acosta from money to girlfriend
Binder in P15 was the second-best KTM behind Acosta at the Goiania Sprint, while Bastianini was the second-best rider on the RC16 in P15 at the Brazilian GP. It’s amazing how Acosta can make such a big difference PyroThe Spaniard feels he is one of the best riders in MotoGP.
Pyro said Moto.it“I’m not really surprised, because I still consider Pedro Acosta one of the strongest talents out there right now. What surprised me was the difference between him and his teammates.”
That’s the thing, because we’re talking about riders like Bastiani, Vinales and Binder – who I still consider very strong riders. But Pedro is making an amazing change, he’s doing really well.
Acosta paid the price at the Brazilian GP. KTM has sacrificed top speed to make the RC16 a more complete bike In the year In 2026, when drivers fly the Mazarron native to the straight line. A mistake into turn 1 saw Vinales finish last when Binder crashed on lap 3 of the Brazilian GP.
Vinales is still struggling with the shoulder injury he suffered in 2025.This forced him to miss a total of eight races last year. The Tech3 rider dislocated his shoulder in Germany last July, and the lingering effects of that injury are having a serious impact on 2026.
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