Jorge Martinez has praised Pedro Acosta after suggesting he would prefer to finish in the sprint behind Marc Marquez at the 2026 Thai Grand Prix at Buriram.
Acosta He won the first race of his MotoGP career last Saturday at the Chang International Circuit. But the KTM According to the managers, it has reached the highest level on the Sprint platform Ducati Star Marquez To throw a place after causing a collision on the lap of the penultimate.
Marquez Acosta drew the ire of the stewards at Buriram after forcing him to get off his bike. Acosta was able to avoid a sprint-ending incident after seeing off Marquez in the final moments.
Speaking immediately after the checkered flag, “I don’t feel like a winner,” Acosta said of Marquez’s penalty. Determining the outcome of the Sprint Thailand GP. Martinez appreciates Acosta’s comment, but thinks it’s probably a sign of their psychological battle.
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Why Jorge Martinez recommends MotoGP ‘revolution’ following Marc Marquez-Pedro Acosta duel
Márquez’s response to Acosta’s 2026 Thailand GP only sprint race win was “surprised” by Spanish motorcycle racer “Aspar” Martinez after his Ducati pilot suffered an injury penalty when he waved in the final corner on the final lap.
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Martinez also thinks Acosta and Marquez are good for MotoGP in a championship characterized by unsportsmanlike competition. He believes that their growing rivalry was a sign that a “revolution” awaits, especially as Marquez and Acosta could be teammates at Ducati in 2027..
“I think it’s really fun, really fun,” Martinez said. As. “On Saturday we saw a beautiful competition between them. We will have a year to enjoy it, but there is no doubt that next year will be a revolution.”
“Not only for the two of them, but for the new regulations and all the new changes that are coming, it seems like a tsunami of change is coming.”
“It’s too early to tell, but it was definitely amazing how they both reacted, I was surprised by their actions,” Martinez added.
“I think maybe there’s a bit of a psychological strategy between them, respect and not wanting to rub salt in the wound.
It is clear that there is a great rivalry as both are winners. But I think we saw a really good show of respect on Saturday. And at the same time a display of psychological control.
Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta are savoring their rivalry ‘without rubbing salt in the wound’.
Was Marc Marquez’s dig at Pedro Acosta really necessary?
‘It wasn’t a one-day (championship) lead like Mark said,’ Acosta told reporters in Thailand.
Acosta has long been seen as the next Marquez, and since debuting in Moto3 in 2021 and winning the title as a rookie, he has often destroyed the paddock. In the year He sealed the 2023 Moto2 title before starting in MotoGP in 2024 and joining the factory KTM team in 2025.
The KTM RC16’s competitiveness has often held Acosta, with the Mazarron native still looking for his first MotoGP Grand Prix victory after 42 starts. That hunger for success makes Marquez-Acosta’s rider line-up on the 2027 Ducati even sweeter.
However, Marquez and Acosta have yet to face a bitter rivalry. According to Martinez, the two Spaniards seem eager to balance their battle with the best Spaniards in MotoGP, at least for now. A pair of contenders for the title may test that approach.
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