Pedro Acosta Sánchez (born 25 May 2004) is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle racer, competing in MotoGP for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team. Acosta won the second Moto3 race he competed in, the 2021 Doha Grand Prix, after starting from the pitlane. In the same season, he won the 2021 Moto3 World Championship to become the first rookie champion since Loris Capirossi in 1990, and the second youngest ever champion, just one day older than Capirossi was at the time of winning. In 2023, Acosta won the Moto2 world championship with 2 races to go. Acosta is also a champion of the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, having won the title in 2020. Acosta is set to leave KTM at the end of to join the factory Ducati team.
Career Early career Acosta participated in various national competitions, winning in 2017 in the PreMoto3 category. In 2018 he entered the Junior Moto3 World Championship. In 2019 he also raced in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, finishing second, winning three races. He finished as champion the following year, winning six races in total, all six coming consecutively at the first six races of the season.
Moto3 World Championship In , Acosta made his debut racing in Moto3 class with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team. In his first race in Qatar, he finished in second place, becoming one of just a handful of riders to score a podium on their Grand Prix debut. On 4 April 2021, he won the Doha motorcycle Grand Prix starting from pitlane, becoming the first rider in the history of Moto3 to accomplish this feat. Acosta would later win the next two races in Portugal and Spain, becoming the first rider in Grand Prix history to get on the podium in all of his first four races. He would win three more races during the season, in Germany, Styria, and Algarve, becoming champion in Algarve, when Darryn Binder crashed into Acosta's main title rival Dennis Foggia. He won the championship by 43 points, and became the first rookie champion of the Moto3 class since 1990, when Loris Capirossi won the 125cc title. Acosta was only one day older (17 years, 166 days) than Capirossi (17 years, 165 days) when they won their respective titles.
Moto2 World Championship Red Bull KTM Ajo (2022–2023) Acosta was promoted to Moto2 with the same team in 2022, joining compatriot Augusto Fernández who also moved from Marc VDS Racing Team. He recorded his first Moto2 win during the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello. After missing two rounds due to a broken femur sustained in a training accident, he won another race in Aragón. Acosta won the 2023 Moto2 World Championship.
MotoGP World Championship Red Bull GasGas Tech3 (2024)
Acosta was promoted to MotoGP for 2024 with Red Bull GasGas Tech3. He impressed in Qatar as he finished eighth in the sprint and ninth in the race, where he was as high as fourth, but slowed due to tyre degradation. In Portimao, he achieved a podium in the main race, having overtaken experienced riders Brad Binder, Marc Márquez (both in turn 1), and Francesco Bagnaia (in turn 3). At the Circuit of the Americas, he fought Marquez again, as well as Jorge Martin only to finish fourth in the sprint, but in the main race he led a race for the first time and made moves that would have seen either a rider go wide on the exit of the corner or crash, he finished second behind Maverick Viñales. After a long period without podium, he manage to finish third of the sprint race and the main race of the Aragon GP. Acosta also scored his maiden premier class pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix. He finished sixth overall in his first MotoGP season, only two points behind factory rider Brad Binder.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (2025–2026)
Ahead of the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello, it was announced that Acosta had signed a multi-year deal with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for the 2025 season. He scored five podiums to rank fourth in the championship.
Acosta remained with the factory KTM team in 2026. He won the opening sprint race of the season in Thailand, and finished second in the main race, becoming the first KTM rider ever to lead the MotoGP World Championship.
After 15 podiums without a win, Acosta finally claimed his first MotoGP victory at the Austrian Grand Prix on his 56th start in the premier class.
Ducati Lenovo Team (2027–) Acosta signed for the factory Ducati team for the 2027 season in place of the outgoing Francesco Bagnaia, where he partners multiple MotoGP world champion and fellow Spaniard Marc Márquez.
Career statistics Career highlights 2017: 1st, FIM CEV PreMoto3 Championship
European Talent Cup Races by year (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Pos Pts 2017 Honda ALB1 ALB2 CAT VAL1 EST1 EST2 JER1 JER2 ARA1 ARA2 VAL2 NC 0
FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship Races by year (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos Pts 2018 KTM EST VAL1 VAL2 FRA CAT1 CAT2 ARA JER1 JER2 ALB VAL1 VAL2 33rd 3 2019 KTM EST VAL1 VAL2 FRA CAT1 CAT2 ARA JER1 JER2 ALB VAL1 VAL2 16th 34 2020 KTM EST POR JER1 JER2 JER3 ARA1 ARA2 ARA3 VAL1 VAL2 VAL3 3rd 177
Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Races by year (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos Pts 2019 JER1 JER2 MUG ASS1 ASS2 SAC1 SAC2 RBR1 RBR2 MIS ARA1 ARA2 2nd 162 2020 RBR1 RBR1 RBR2 RBR2 ARA1 ARA1 ARA2 ARA2 VAL1 VAL1 VAL2 VAL2 1st 214
Grand Prix motorcycle racing By season Season Class Motorcycle Team Race Win Podium Pole FLap Pts Plcd WCh Moto3 KTM Red Bull KTM Ajo 18 6 8 1 1 259 1st 1 Moto2 Kalex Red Bull KTM Ajo 18 3 5 1 1 177 5th – Moto2 Kalex Red Bull KTM Ajo 20 7 14 3 8 332.5 1st 1 MotoGP KTM Red Bull GasGas Tech3 19 0 5 1 2 215 6th – MotoGP KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 22 0 5 0 1 307 4th – MotoGP KTM Red Bull KTM Factory Racing 16 1 6 1 1 243* 4th* – Total 113 17 43 7 14 1533.5 2
By class Class Seasons 1st GP 1st Pod 1st Win Race Win Podiums Pole FLap Pts WChmp Moto3 2021 2021 Qatar 2021 Qatar 2021 Doha 18 6 8 1 1 259 1 Moto2 2022–2023 2022 Qatar 2022 Italy 2022 Italy 38 10 19 4 9 509.5 1 MotoGP 2024–present 2024 Qatar 2024 Portugal 2026 Austria 57 1 16 2 4 765 – Total 2021–present 113 17 43 7 14 1533.5 2
Races by year (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Class Bike 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Pos Pts Moto3 KTM QAT DOH POR SPA FRA ITA CAT GER NED STY AUT GBR ARA RSM AME EMI ALR VAL 1st 259 Moto2 Kalex QAT INA ARG AME POR SPA FRA ITA CAT GER NED GBR AUT RSM ARA JPN THA AUS MAL VAL 5th 177 Moto2 Kalex POR ARG AME SPA FRA ITA GER NED GBR AUT CAT RSM IND JPN INA AUS THA MAL QAT VAL 1st 332.5 MotoGP KTM QAT POR AME SPA FRA CAT ITA NED GER GBR AUT ARA RSM EMI INA JPN AUS THA MAL SLD 6th 215 MotoGP KTM THA ARG AME QAT SPA FRA GBR ARA ITA NED GER CZE AUT HUN CAT RSM JPN INA AUS MAL POR VAL 4th 307 MotoGP KTM THA BRA USA SPA FRA CAT ITA HUN CZE NED GER GBR ARA RSM AUT JPN INA AUS MAL QAT POR VAL 4th* 243* Half points awarded as less than half of the race distance (but at least three full laps) was completed. Season still in progress.
Records As of 28 February 2026, Acosta holds the following records:
MotoGP Youngest rider to have set a fastest lap aged 19 years and 290 days Youngest rider to score a podium finish aged 19 years and 304 days Youngest-ever rider to win a MotoGP Sprint aged 21 years and 279 days First KTM rider ever to lead the World Championship
Moto2 Youngest Moto2 world champion aged 19 years and 172 days (2023) Youngest race winner aged 18 years and 4 days Most podiums in a single season: 14 (2023, shared with Marc Márquez, Esteve Rabat, and Johann Zarco) Most fastest laps in a single season: 8 (2023, shared with Franco Morbidelli)
Moto3 Youngest Moto3 world champion aged 17 years and 166 days (2021)
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