Pedro Acosta’s early 2026 MotoGP form has been fuelled by a combination of improved machinery and a more measured approach, according to KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer.

In contrast to a year ago, when Acosta became frustrated by the RC16’s lack of early performance, he has returned with not only a more capable machine but a very different mindset.

Performance gains have helped the young Spaniard to take a debut Sprint win alongside two grand prix podiums, while a new ‘get what you can’ approach on more difficult days has helped carry him to third in the world championship.

“Pedro has matured incredibly,” Pit Beirer told Speedweek.com. “He knows that we might not always have the best bike.

“But he’s now accepted that you only finish in the top three of the World Championship if you consistently get the maximum out of it – because nobody has the best bike at every Grand Prix.”

Beirer explained that last year’s campaign provided a clear lesson.

Acosta suffered six non-scores and was without a podium during the first half of last season, then stood on the rostrum twelve times, taking him all the way to fourth in the final standings.

But more was possible, if he had pocketed whatever points were on offer during the difficult rounds rather than push over the limit.

“Last year, driven by our company [financial] disaster, he was very negative. He realised at the first race that he wasn’t good enough to win. For him, it was either win or nothing – there was no middle ground,” Beirer said.

“But the [post] season analysis clearly showed that if he had taken advantage of the good fourth, fifth, or sixth-place finishes, where he occasionally crashed because he wanted to win, he would have finished third in the World Championship last year.

“That was his takeaway: ‘I have to take the points, and my races will come – my tracks will come!’ You simply have to be there for the points, otherwise all the performance is useless. He’s matured incredibly during this time.”

Acosta and Jorge Martin (second in the world championship) are the only riders to have scored points in all six races so far.

Acosta heads to his first home Spanish round of the season, at Jerez on 24-26 April, 21-points behind Martin’s Aprilia team-mate Marco Bezzecchi.

The next best KTM rider is Tech3’s Enea Bastianini, in eleventh.

Pedro Acosta’s early 2026 MotoGP form has been fuelled by a combination of improved machinery and a more measured approach, according to KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer.

In contrast to a year ago, when Acosta became frustrated by the RC16’s lack of early performance, he has returned with not only a more capable machine but a very different mindset.

Performance gains have helped the young Spaniard to take a debut Sprint win alongside two grand prix podiums, while a new ‘get what you can’ approach on more difficult days has helped carry him to third in the world championship.

“Pedro has matured incredibly,” Pit Beirer told Speedweek.com. “He knows that we might not always have the best bike.

“But he’s now accepted that you only finish in the top three of the World Championship if you consistently get the maximum out of it – because nobody has the best bike at every Grand Prix.”

Beirer explained that last year’s campaign provided a clear lesson.

Acosta suffered six non-scores and was without a podium during the first half of last season, then stood on the rostrum twelve times, taking him all the way to fourth in the final standings.

But more was possible, if he had pocketed whatever points were on offer during the difficult rounds rather than push over the limit.

“Last year, driven by our company [financial] disaster, he was very negative. He realised at the first race that he wasn’t good enough to win. For him, it was either win or nothing – there was no middle ground,” Beirer said.

“But the [post] season analysis clearly showed that if he had taken advantage of the good fourth, fifth, or sixth-place finishes, where he occasionally crashed because he wanted to win, he would have finished third in the World Championship last year.

“That was his takeaway: ‘I have to take the points, and my races will come – my tracks will come!’ You simply have to be there for the points, otherwise all the performance is useless. He’s matured incredibly during this time.”

Acosta and Jorge Martin (second in the world championship) are the only riders to have scored points in all six races so far.

Acosta heads to his first home Spanish round of the season, at Jerez on 24-26 April, 21-points behind Martin’s Aprilia team-mate Marco Bezzecchi.

The next best KTM rider is Tech3’s Enea Bastianini, in eleventh.