Pedro Acosta admits being at the top of the championship doesn’t feel right
Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images Acosta shrugs off title talk despite leading MotoGP standings ahead of Brazilian Grand Prix. Pedro Acosta has played down any talk of a title push this season, even as he arrives in Brazil sitting on top of the standings. The 20-year-old picked up 32 points in Thailand, including his first Sprint win and a second-place finish behind Marco Bezzecchi in the main race.
That result put him seven points clear heading into round two. Bezzecchi is widely considered the main threat to Marc Marquez this year, but Acosta’s performance in Buriram — where he overtook the world champion several times — showed that he shouldn’t be overlooked. Pedro Acosta says winning the 2026 MotoGP title is not his ‘target’ Photo by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Images Speaking in Thursday’s press conference, Acosta said he felt out of place at the top of the championship.
He finished sixth in his rookie season and improved to fourth last year. The KTM rider’s main goal this season is to reduce the mistakes that affected him last year. While he only had five retirements, it wasn’t until the Brno Sprint in July that he earned his first podium.
After Acosta’s win in Thailand, Marquez made a light-hearted comment that the lead wouldn’t last long. However, Goiania’s unpredictable weather and low grip could give Acosta another chance to shine. Inside Ducati, there are doubts about whether Marquez will be at his best this weekend.
The track layout isn’t ideal for him, and he’s still not fully recovered from a shoulder injury suffered last autumn. “[Leading the championship is] cool, but at the end, I know that it’s maybe not my place to be,” Acosta said. “You can imagine it’s super nice to see yourself at the top of the MotoGP world standings”.