Written by Owen Bradley
Pedro Acosta has signed a multi-year deal with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, and joins the team in 2025 replacing Jack Miller.
Just six races into the 2024 MotoGP season, rookie Pedro Acosta has already made a strong impression in the paddock. Acosta will now officially replace Jack Miller at Red Bull KTM next season.
Acosta scored his first podium in MotoGP in the Portuguese Grand Prix, which was the second round of the season. Frequently outperforming both Red Bull KTM riders of Miller and Brad Binder, it was only a matter of time before Acosta was approached by the factory team.
The 20-year old has been riding with GasGas KTM, KTM's satellite team which are also sponsored by Red Bull. In Formula One equivalent terms, GasGas KTM acts in a similar way to how Toro Rosso would for the Red Bull Racing team. The Spaniard has already challenged the likes of Francesco Bagnaia, Marc Marquez and many other well respected riders on the grid with his outdated KTM spec bike. With a factory KTM seat, and the most up to date technology from KTM, there is a huge question mark over how good Acosta could potentially be, perhaps even challenging for a championship.
Acosta recently challenged at the front against Pramac Ducati's Jorge Martin and Factory Ducati's Francesco Bagnaia in the bid for glory at the Catalan Grand Prix. Acosta would eventually crash at Turn 10, however managed to recover to 13th and still scored points. He also would beat all the Honda riders in the Grand Prix, despite having a crash.
The Spaniard has been compared to other legends of the sport, most notably Marc Marquez who also hit the ground running in his MotoGP career, taking the championship in his debut premier class season. Acosta has a relatively unique style, using his entire body on some corners to actually defend a position. Acosta also allows the rear of the bike to slide in the braking zones, meaning he can be aggressive in the braking areas, as well as also taking an ideal line coming out of a corner.
He has pushed in every race for results, sometimes pushing too far and ending up rolling into the gravel. However, much like Marquez, the makings of a great rider are in finding that limit that the rider and motorcycle have.
Jack Miller will leave Red Bull KTM at the end of 2024, after a difficult few seasons. Miller left Factory Ducati at the end of the 2022 season after being outperformed by teammate Francesco Bagnaia. Bagnaia has gone on to claim championship glory with Ducati in 2022 and 2023, and is one of the main contenders for the 2024 crown as well.
However, after joining Red Bull KTM for the 2023 season, Miller would also be outperformed by teammate Brad Binder, and was also crashing a bit more frequently. In 2024, Acosta would be the nail in the coffin for Miller's tenure in the Factory team, as he was frequently outperformed by the Spaniard, who was using an older spec bike.
It has been rumoured that Miller will join GasGas KTM, making this a swap of positions for both riders. However, other reports have placed Miller entering the World Superbikes Championship. It is currently unclear on what the Australian will do.
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