“We are coming”
If on Sunday, at the beginning of 2024, Pedro Acosta he has already achieved two consecutive podiums (in Portugal and Texas), he was missing the podium in the Sprint. In an elimination race due to the mixed conditions of the Jerez track, the rookie was among the survivors and not only saw the checkered flag, but also took second place behind Jorge Martin. The debutant said: “This track doesn’t dry out quickly. I remember that when I came here with the Moto2 to test in February, turns 9 and 10 were wet in the morning, even though it hadn’t rained. Today wasn’t the hottest day.”. Then speaking about him he admitted: “We are in a good moment. You get farther by staying calm and taking the necessary steps or doing things well to build a solid foundation. We are working”.
The direction taken is the right one, he is convinced: “Apart from the fact that we made a good start and a good comeback, we are improving on the aspects in which I struggle the most. I’m happier lately because we’re getting closer and closer, we’re making little progress, we’re getting there. We are adapting the bike to what I need in terms of ergonomics and setting.” And in view of tomorrow? “Let’s see how much humidity there will be tonight and if it doesn’t rain, what the track conditions will be in the warm up tomorrow. It will be a critical race with tire management in some points and we will need to understand which tire to fit over the long distance.”.
Martin wins, but the Sprint is an absurd massacre: 13 crashes!
A 20cm puddle ended Marquez’s race
After having conquered the first place on the starting grid, Marc Marquez he went so far as to lead the Sprint in Jerez, when a fall took away all his chances. The eight-time world champion said: “There were four laps left to end a perfect day after pole position. I’m happy with how everything is going. The crash is not what I was looking for, but today the situation was this: there was a 50% chance of finishing the race and 50% not. When the job seemed done, I relaxed for a moment and grabbed a small puddle of water. It wasn’t bigger than 20 centimeters, but it was enough… We had this bad luck after having done all the difficult work of the race, which was to recover and lead.”
Will you aim for victory tomorrow? “I’m coming off two consecutive falls, that won’t be the goal. I would sign now to get the podium”. The track conditions were not great, but he admitted: “It wasn’t a red flag. Everyone takes the risk they want.”. Today, among other things, we also saw him juggling, saving a fall with the Ducati, a feat he always managed in the past with the Honda: “I have more and more confidence, I get less tired because I am less rigid while driving. There are still weak points to improve, but the ‘saved’ one, the first one with the Ducati plus they recorded it for me, what more do I want!” (laughs)
2024 MotoGP calendar
Bagnaia points the finger at Binder
Of the 12 scheduled, the race lasted just three laps Francesco Bagnaia who immediately found himself in the leading group fighting for important positions, but an episode with Brad Binder took him out of the running. The Piedmontese was busy overtaking Marco Bezzecchi when the South African entered a small space, thus ending Pecco’s race prematurely. The reigning champion admitted to Sky Sport: “Binder’s vein closed when Marquez threw him out. Then he came in hard and I ended up in the middle. Sprint causes drivers to be out of their minds, they change direction without meaning. Sometimes you get into trouble and end up on the floor like it happened to me today. With a good strategy you could still end up well. For example, Binder’s overtaking on Marquez made no sense”.
MotoGP riders ranking 2024
