Pedro
Acosta
Spain
·
MotoGP
Date of birth | 25 May 2004 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Murcia |
Age | 21 |
Nationality | Spain |
Career start | 2019 |
Disciplines | MotoGP |
Pedro Acosta’s first experience of motorbikes came at the age of just five, when his father bought a motocross bike – and he hasn’t looked back since.
Having begun racing bikes at a young age, Acosta worked his way up through the classes, winning in Minibikes, MiniGP, MaxxiGP and PreMoto3 before entering the Moto3™ Junior World Championship at the age of 14.
After one season in the juniors, Acosta – who lists his riding heroes as Casey Stoner and Kevin Schwantz – took the Red Bull Rookies Cup by storm, finishing as runner-up during the 2019 season and then claiming the title one year later.
Success in Moto3™
The 2021 season saw Acosta make the step up to Moto3™ with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team and his impact was almost immediate and quite stunning. Starting from the pit lane, he ripped through the field in the Doha Grand Prix to take the win in only his second GP at this level, having finished a very close runner-up in his first GP in Qatar – and he then won his third GP in Portimaõ.
The Doha win was historic because it was the first time in Moto3™ that a rider had won a GP from a pit lane start. Acosta then continued to rewrite the record books with yet more victories, eventually sealing the title in Portugal. He became the first rookie to win the lightweight class category since 1990 and at 17 years and 166 days old, is the second youngest Grand Prix Champion in history.
Crowned the Moto2™ world champion
Having dominated during his rookie campaign in Moto3™, Acosta moved one step closer to his dream of competing in the premier class by earning a move to Moto2™ for the 2022 season. The Spaniard made an instant impact, scoring several podium places in his first season, as well as securing three wins as he finished in fifth place overall.
In 2023, the Spaniard completed his second season in the category with the Red Bull KTM Ajo. After seven victories and 14 podiums in the intermediate category, Acosta was crowned Moto2™ world champion two races before the end of this season, such was his dominance.
Impressing in MotoGP™
Having won two world titles in different categories in just three years, there was just one place for him to go – MotoGP™. And what an impression he made during his 2024 rookie season with Red Bull GASGAS Tech3.
Acosta scored a podium finish in just the second Grand Prix of the season in Portugal and scored three more podiums across the season as he finished the championship in a mightily impressive sixth overall and earned himself the Rookie of the Year award.
After that debut season, it was no surprise that Acosta got the call-up to the full Red Bull KTM Factory Team for the 2025 season, during which he added another five podium finishes to his record and a leap up to fourth place overall.
With two seasons of experience under his belt, Acosta will be chasing more victories in 2026 as he attempts to mount a title challenge.
Success came early in the form of winning the Red Bull Rookies Cup
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
Celebrating with the team
© Gold & Goose/Red Bull Content Pool
Making history as the youngest MotoGP™ rider to score back-to-back podiums
© Gold & Goose / Red Bull Content Pool
Pedro shows off his racing skills on a traditional Indonesian becak
© Insan Kurniawan/Red Bull Content Pool