Pedro
Acosta
Spain
·
MotoGP
Date of birth | May 25, 2004 |
|---|---|
Birthplace | 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 Pedro hasn’t looked back since.
Having begun racing bikes at a young age, Pedro 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, Pedro – 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.
The 2021 season saw Pedro 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 (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. Pedro 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, he is the second youngest Grand Prix Champion in history.
Having dominated during his rookie campaign in Moto3™, Pedro 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.
The young Spaniard now had two world titles in different categories in just three years, leaving just one place for him to go – MotoGP™. And what an impression he made during his 2024 rookie season with Red Bull GASGAS Tech3. Pedro 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's not a surprise that Pedro got the call up to the full Red Bull KTM Factory Team for the 2025 season, where he'll join Brad Binder in the Austrian manufacturer's quest for a first MotoGP™ world title.